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The Telegraph points out something very interesting. In the relatively shallow coastal waters off Yemen (think they describe that as a “littoral” area), there is one class of Navy ship not heard from.<\/p>\n
Multiple ships of various categories have been leading the way. Shooting down Houthi missiles and drones, blowing their little attack boats out of the water, flying escorts, etc…our guys are doing a bang-up job given the silly-ass rules of engagement we always seem to get stuck with. So, if it’s a coastal\/littoral area… where are the Littoral Combat Ships?<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s one ship type the American fleet isn\u2019t<\/em> surging into the region. The troubled Littoral Combat Ship. Farcically, the LCS is one of the more numerous ship types in the fleet. But it\u2019s totally unsuitable for hard fighting.<\/p>\n
An American-led fleet is trying to contain the crisis. It\u2019s a powerful force organised around the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower<\/em> and reinforced by eight other large American warships: four destroyers, two amphibious assault ships, a cruiser and a cruise-missile-armed submarine.<\/p>\n
Allied forces have shot down around 20 Houthi ballistic and cruise missiles and around 80 drones and destroyed three Houthis boats. And in a series of air strikes and cruise-missile raids beginning on Jan. 11, these same forces have targeted dozens of Houthi missile launch sites and a radar installation.<\/p>\n
Despite representing a fifth of the US surface combatant fleet, which also includes the destroyers and cruisers, no LCSs have joined the campaign.<\/p>\n
The Pentagon\u2019s $37-billion commitment to the LCS was a profound misreading of the future security environment. With no long-range air-defenses, the 3,000-ton LCSs can\u2019t protect themselves from the Houthis\u2019 Iranian-made missiles and drones \u2013 to say nothing of protecting commercial ships that might be spread out across thousands of square miles.<\/p>\n
And with no long-range land-attack weapons, the LCSs can\u2019t strike back at the Houthis, either. If the LCSs are unsuitable for defense and offense against a regional militant group, how would they fare against a much bigger and more sophisticated foe like China?<\/p>\n