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I began to gasp after "Stackley again downplayed the difficulty of the frigate transition ..."
Senators Worried Quick Transition From LCS to Frigate Leaves Little Room for Oversight
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee today questioned the Navy’s ability to ensure a smooth transition from the Littoral Combat Ship to the frigate program, given that current plans would force the Navy to award something akin to a block buy contract for 12 ships even before the first frigate is built and tested.

During the opening statements of what would become a heated hearing, Government Accountability Office Managing Director of Acquisition And Sourcing Management Paul Francis suggested that
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if they signed off on the Navy’s request for a block buy of frigates, expected to be included in the service’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget request.

“[The frigate program] is not going to have milestone decisions. It’s not going to be a separate program. There won’t be a milestone B. You’re not going to have Nunn-McCurdy protections for the frigate itself. You won’t have a selected acquisition report for the frigate itself. And some of the key performance parameters, as they relate to the mission modules, have been downgraded to key system attributes, which means the Navy and not the [Joint Requirements Oversight Council] will make decisions on what is acceptable,” he warned the lawmakers.
“So let me wrap up by saying, the ball’s not in your court. In a few months you’ll be asked to approve the FY18 budget submit, which will, if current plans hold, include approval for a block buy of 12 frigates. In my mind, you’re going to be rushed again, you’re going to be asked for upfront approval for something where the design isn’t done, we don’t have independent cost estimates, the risks are not well understood.”

Several senators pounced on this statement, pressing Navy acquisition chief for more information on the transition plans.

SASC chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), long critical of the LCS program, bluntly said in the hearing that “this idea of a block buy before it’s a mature system is absolutely insane.”

SASC ranking member Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) asked for more details on the plan to morph the LCS into a frigate and what oversight opportunities the committee would have. Stackley stressed the similarities between the LCS and frigate program and the natural progression from one to the next, saying the Navy would use “existing capabilities or capabilities that we already have in development that the ship is already designed to accommodate.”

Stackley said the two LCS contractors, Lockheed Martin and Austal USA, are already working on their frigate designs ahead of the Navy releasing an official request for proposals next summer. The exact details of the “block buy” plan are not yet decided and would be outlined in the FY 2018 budget request, Stackley said, with the Navy aiming to buy these ships as affordably as possible.

“The competitive downselect would be based on best value associated with the detail design by the shipbuilder,” he said, though no ships will be built or tested before the Navy has to commit to a single contractor.
“What we’re telling them is, somebody is going to win this, one is going to win this, and they will get 12 ships of this frigate design. The details in terms of whether that’s one plus 11 options, whether that’s 12 options, or whether we convert that to a multiyear in the future, that is not decided today. But we do want to ensure we procure those ships as affordably as possible when we go through that competitive downselect.”

Francis, though, in his opening statement advocated against Congress approving any kind of block buy in FY 2018.

“Don’t approve a block buy. Have the Navy do a competition on detail design and let them compete the two ship designs and downselect, and make it a major acquisition program with its own baseline and its own milestones and its own [Selected Acquisition Reports]. In (FY) ‘19, then you can consider if you want to authorize more ships, and that should be based on the demonstrated performance of the ships.”

When Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) brought up the block buy issue later in the hearing, Francis said the frigate modifications would add at least $100 million to the cost of each ship, compared to the LCS design, and advocated requiring a formal Milestone B approval process for the frigate instead of considering it a follow-on flight upgrade that wouldn’t need its own formal milestone decision.

Stackley again downplayed the difficulty of the frigate transition, noting that “unlike the start of this (LCS) program, we are not going to suffer through requirements churn and instability. We are not going to introduce new design late in production that’s going to cause cost to go through the roof. We’re not going to put these ships under contract in a cost-plus environment where the government owns responsibility for the cost itself.”

He told Hirono he would provide the senators with whatever cost estimates, requirements documents and other components of the Milestone B approval process and, if the senators still need more assurances, “if we need to establish a pseudo milestone B or a milestone B, I don’t hesitate to do that.”
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FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
For US guys ;) there have already been former military for secretary of defense enough recently saying since10 - 20 years ? except Powell IIRC the big boss during Koweit - Iraq 1990 - 91 yet watching much the press and TV ...:p:p:p
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
I began to gasp after "Stackley again downplayed the difficulty of the frigate transition ..."
Senators Worried Quick Transition From LCS to Frigate Leaves Little Room for Oversight

source:
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"Big Mouth!" and his fat-cat senate buddies don't want to lose their SFRC Big Shot status! Mr. Bigmouth is and has been and will continue to be a "Big Mouth" promoter first and foremost! My Dad stated that he was worthless, my Dad wrote "big mouth" numerous letters about veterans issues, and "big mouth" didn't respond to a single one???

My Dad was very well written and respected with-in his branch of service and anyone else who served with him,

For "Big Mouth" its always, and "ALL" about him! he was a POW you know???

For his service and during his time as a POW, yes he was a Hero. Now he seems to have forgotten what it means to be a Naval Aviator, and has become a POLITICIAN, in the bad sense of the word!
 
"Big Mouth!" ...
... has become a POLITICIAN, in the bad sense of the word!
could be but I'm afraid he might be right this time (quote from the article inside
I began to gasp after "Stackley again downplayed the difficulty of the frigate transition ..."
Senators Worried Quick Transition From LCS to Frigate Leaves Little Room for Oversight

source:
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just saying for the case anybody still followed this thread):

"SASC chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), long critical of the LCS program, bluntly said in the hearing that “this idea of a block buy before it’s a mature system is absolutely insane.”
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
could be but I'm afraid he might be right this time (quote from the article inside

just saying for the case anybody still followed this thread):

"SASC chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), long critical of the LCS program, bluntly said in the hearing that “this idea of a block buy before it’s a mature system is absolutely insane.”

He no doubt is right, but his motivation is to protect his own "pulpit" and nickel and dime the services weapons suppliers to death, LockMart, his constant "dinging" is almost pathetic, and always "self serving"!

No, I don't believe we should pursue a "block buy" at this stage, but I'm afraid that the Senate Armed Services Committee is populated by opportunists, I think McCain needs to go, he is no longer objective nor is he effective. The Zumwalt needs to be fixed!
 
now It's official: Donald Trump has chosen Gen. James Mattis for defense secretary

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while google-translated
Le général Michael Flynn, futur conseiller à la sécurité de Trump: « un dingue...»
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Le général Michael Flynn, futur conseiller à la sécurité de Trump: « un dingue...»

La nomination du général Michael Flynn au poste de Conseiller à la sécurité nationale (NSC) de Donald Trump suscite quelques réserves dans les milieux militaires français. « C’est un dingue », tranche un officier général qui l’a côtoyé ces dernières années. « Il a fait toute sa carrière dans le renseignement et en a développé une vision complotiste », ajoute-t-il.

Cette opinion est également partagée dans les milieux américains. Un bon connaisseur de cet univers nous explique que cette nomination est « une catastrophe ». « Flynn est excellent au niveau tactique et opératif, mais manque totalement de jugement au niveau stratégique » (« theater-stategic and grand-strategic levels »).

Ses analuses sont sans nuances, par exemple lorsqu’il explique que « l’Islam est une idéologie politique qui se cache derrière une idéologie » - « c’est comme un cancer ».

Michael Flynn, 58 ans, appartient à la catégorie des militaires « chimiquement purs » dont le sens politique n’est sans doute pas la qualité première. Michael Flynn est entré dans l’US Army en 1981 et a effectivement mené toute sa carrière dans la spécialité du renseignement. Il a notamment servi à la 82e Airborne et au JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) avant de prendre la tête de la DIA, l’agence du renseignement militaire, dont il a été viré par l’administration Obama. Il a participé aux opérations à la Grenade, en Haïti et surtout en Irak et en Afghanistan.

Flynn a quitté le service actif en 2014. Longtemps démocrate, il a rejoint l’équipe Trump au cours de la dernière campagne.

D’autres militaires pourraient être nommés à des postes importants, comme les généraux Petraeus et Mattis, beaucoup plus respectés par leurs homologues français.
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General Michael Flynn, future Trump safety advisor: "a crazy ..."
The appointment of General Michael Flynn as Donald Trump's National Security Advisor (NSC) arouses some reservations in French military circles. "It's a crazy," says a general officer who has rubbed shoulders with him in recent years. "He has spent his entire career in intelligence and has developed a complicated vision," he adds.

This opinion is also shared in American circles. A good connoisseur of this universe explains that this appointment is "a catastrophe". "Flynn is excellent at the tactical and operational level, but totally lacking in strategic judgment" ( "theater-stategic and grand-strategic levels").

His analuses are without nuances, for example when he explains that "Islam is a political ideology that lies behind an ideology" - "it is like a cancer".

Michael Flynn, 58, belongs to the category of military "chemically pure" whose political sense is probably not the first quality. Michael Flynn entered the US Army in 1981 and has effectively conducted his entire career in the intelligence specialty. He served at the 82nd Airborne and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) before heading the DIA, the military intelligence agency, from which he was fired by the Obama administration. He has been involved in operations in Grenada, Haiti and especially in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Flynn left active service in 2014. Long Democrat, he joined the Trump team in the last campaign.

Other military personnel could be appointed to important posts, such as Generals Petraeus and Mattis, much more respected by their French counterparts.
 
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