BUILD, BUILD, BUILD! U.S. Navy announces big news for Mobile

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April 1, 2015

USS Independence (Photo: U.S. Navy, Naval Air Crewman 2nd Class Nicholas Kontodiakos)

MOBILE, Ala. — The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday that it will continue fully funding the program to build two Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) at contractor Austal USA in the Port of Mobile.

“I applaud the Navy’s decision to allocate funding for two Littoral Combat Ships to Austal in Mobile,” said Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) in a press release. “The hardworking men and women at the shipyard continue to demonstrate an ability to produce first-class ships in a reasonable time frame. I appreciate their continued work on behalf of our nation’s military.”

Byrne, who is a member of the Armed Services Committee, said the appropriations are made possible by the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in December, but he will continue to be the “strongest advocate possible for our nation’s Navy and the over 4,000 workers at the Austal shipyard in Mobile,” as Congress begins to craft the 2016 NDAA.

Each LCS costs approximately $320 million to build, which are some of the most efficient and least expensive vessels in the Navy.

In December, former Department of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel released a report detailing the need for more, improved LCS.

The LCS updates “will offer improvements in ship lethality and survivability, delivering enhanced naval combat performance at an affordable price,” Hagel said. “The more lethal and survivable SSC will meet a broader set of missions across the range of military operations, and addresses the Navy’s top war-fighting priorities.”