U.S. Navy Pacific Commander Praises Littoral Combat Ship & Expeditionary Fast Transport

: Posted On Monday, 14 March 2016 11:38

Naval Forces News - USA

U.S. Navy Pacific Commander Praises Littoral Combat Ship & Expeditionary Fast Transport

Bradley Byrne press release
When responding to questions from Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL), U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) Commander Admiral Harry Harris outlined his strong support for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) programs during a House Armed Services Committee this morning. The Independence class LCS and EPF are built by Austal USA in Mobile.

When responding to questions from Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL), U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) Commander Admiral Harry Harris outlined his strong support for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) programs during a House Armed Services Committee this morning. The Independence class LCS and EPF are built by Austal USA in Mobile.

SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 11, 2015) The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) conducts patrols in international waters of the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Conor Minto/Released)

Admiral Harris called the LCS a “terrific platform to work with our allies and partners in the region.” He went on to say that he has always valued the LCS, dating back to his time as Pacific Fleet Commander for the Navy. “I believe there is a place for LCS in the joint force, now that I am the PACOM commander,” Harris said.

Byrne also asked Admiral Harris to explain why the LCS is so important as it relates to supporting United States allies in the region from adversaries like China and Russia.

“A lot of our friends and partners in the region have small navies,” Admiral Harris said. “They want to learn from us, or they want to learn from somebody, and I’d rather they learn from us than other potential partners. There navies are small and when a cruiser comes in there or even a DDG for that matter, it can overwhelm them. So, an LCS is the right platform to do that. It is also the right platform to train in areas of shallower depths.”

Spearhead class JHSV/EPF during sea trials. Picture: Austal

In closing, Byrne asked Admiral Harris to explain why the Mobile-built Expeditionary Fast Transport, formerly known as the Joint High Speed Vessel, is so important to the future of the fleet.

“I think it has a great potential for some of the mission sets that I have to be concerned about,” Harris said. “The (EPF) has a great ability to move a lot of things quickly. By a lot of things I mean troops and their equipment…I think that you could put an expeditionary field hospital, for example, on an (EPF) and turn it into a hospital ship. We explored that in the last few months of my time as Pacific fleet commander during Pacific Partnership. That’s an exciting new capability that I think we should take a hard look at.”

President Obama’s budget proposed cutting the LCS program from 52 total ships to 40. The President’s budget did not include any funding for the Expeditionary Fast Transport program. Congressman Byrne, along with Alabama Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions, has vowed to block these ill-advised attempts to cut the Navy.