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LCS, Legacy Platforms Key to Mine Warfare

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090529-06
Release Date: 5/29/2009 12:46:00 PM

By Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Public Affairs

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (NNS) -- The commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command was the keynote speaker at the Mine Warfare Association conference in Panama City, Fla., May 18-21.

Adm. Jon Greenert spoke about the future of mine countermeasures (MCM) operations in support of the conference theme, "Mine Warfare - 'Home' and 'Away' Game Challenges."

"The way ahead is one of going from platform-centric to organic systems, and the littoral combat ship (LCS) is the means by which we're going to employ this," Greenert said. "We have to sustain, but we have to maintain our current assets, too."

Greenert noted that developing mission packages to be deployed aboard the new littoral combat ship was the right direction for future MCM operations, but he asserted the fleet's current legacy systems must be maintained.

"The new organic systems have to be absolutely proven before we retire our MCM ships or the MH-53 helicopters. In other words, we have to sustain these systems until the LCS and its mission packages are up and working along with the ancillary systems," said Greenert.

Greenert added the Navy needs to further develop an aggressive and effective fleet integration and testing plan.

"The best shore simulators won't replicate and won't provide a realistic idea of actual performance of our new systems," he said. "As I used to say in the Seventh Fleet, 'we need to get this stuff wet, and we need to get it wet as soon as possible.'"