1) in early 2010 to the Southern Command and Pacific Command areas
ahead of her originally scheduled 2012 maiden deployment.
According to Navy leaders, littoral combat ships (LCS) are needed now
to close urgent warfighting gaps.
"Deploying LCS now is a big step forward in getting this ship where it
needs to be – operating in the increasingly important littoral
regions," said Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations. "We must
deliver this critical capability to the warfighter now."
The Freedom will have an immediate impact on fleet readiness and global
reach as an asset with unique combat capabilities and the ability to
meet littoral tasking not previously seen in the modern cruiser or
destroyer fleet.
"The Navy plans to build a considerable number of littoral combat ships
which will form the backbone of our future fleet," said Adm J. C.
Harvey, Jr., commander, U.S. Fleet Forces, charged with executing the
early deployment. "The sooner we integrate them into our fleet, the
sooner we can incorporate them in the order of battle. This deployment
offers a golden opportunity to learn by doing. Employing the USS
Freedom in theater two years ahead of a normal timeline allows us to
incorporate lessons that can only be learned in a deployment setting
more quickly and effectively in the LCS fleet integration process."
In evaluating options for deploying the Freedom earlier than originally
scheduled, the Navy took into consideration several key factors
including combat systems testing, shakedown of the ship systems and
overseas sustainment with a new concept of operations and crew
training. To facilitate the early deployment, the Navy adjusted the
Freedom testing schedule, prioritized testing events needed for
deployment and deferred others not required for the missions envisioned
during this deployment. The Freedom recently completed Industrial Post
Delivery Availability 2, which also supported an early deployment.
# END
