Report: Shipbuilding in ‘serious disarray’

[unhappycamper]

Shipbuilding woes
Report cites disconnect from reality


Report: Shipbuilding in ‘serious disarray’
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Aug 15, 2008 16:32:41 EDT

Navy shipbuilding is in “serious disarray” because top commanders have pursued an acquisition plan that has little to do with actual requirements or strategy, according to an early August report from a Washington think tank.

A “strategy-reality disconnect” is at the heart of what the authors describe as the Navy’s inability to control the costs of ships, and thus the problem with buying as many as needed, according to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a right-leaning Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The report, titled “Abandon Ships: The Costly Illusion of Unaffordable Transformation,” faults the Navy for not having a clear procurement plan.

Senior Navy leaders say their goals were outlined in the National Maritime Strategy, but that document isn’t a strategy at all, authors Hans Ulrich Kaeser and Anthony Cordesman said.

“It was rather a set of concepts that was not linked to any clearly defined force plan, modernization plan, program or budget,” they wrote. “A strategy that cannot be implemented or resourced is not a strategy, but rather a critical failure in leadership and management. It is nothing more than a statement of hopes and good intentions without credibility.”

~snip~

It’s not just a Navy problem; the CSIS report blames the highest tier of Pentagon leadership for acquisition problems throughout the military. None of the armed services have concrete, actionable policies in place to buy the gear they need, the authors write, but their commanders also are not held accountable for rising costs or unrealistic expectations.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/08/navy_shipbuilding_problems_081508w/

[opihimoimoi]

1. An astute President would be kicking ass a long time ago....this is series shit

[Cooley Hurd]

2. They've stricken/sunk almost all of the Spuance class DD's...

...in favor of new Arleigh Burke-class (Flight II) DDG's. The oldest (USS Spruance) was only 28 years old when she was struck from the register. Seemed like a waste...:shrug:

[Captain Hilts]

3. Well, it looks like they're going to keep churnin' out the Burkes, which I think is a good idea...

The Burkes are actually designed for the rougher Atlantic and we can benefit from economies of scale.

Naval weapons are expensive, especially if you have no economies of scale. The three Seawolf class subs are going to cost a ton to keep going, for example.

[jimmil]

4. I still have the coin

That was given to all who attended the christening of the Spruance. It was kind of cool being there. Afterward there was a reception at a country club where you got to meet the captain and some of the officer crew and visa versa. I even engaged in a bit of conversation about the missile fire control that I did. It was fun and nice to see your work actually contributing something.