Logistical analysis of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) operating independently in the Pacific

Abstract

The LCS will be a small combatant designed to address many of the challenges facing the Navy in the 2002 Defense Planning Guidance (DPG). It will rely on newly developing mission modular technology that will allow the core component of LCS, the seaframe, to change out warfare mission packages to adapt it for different warfighting scenarios. Unlike the current combatants of the Navy, LCS will be a single-mission focused ship that will rely on still developing technology to conduct operations in one of three main areas: Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW), Mine Warfare (MIW) and Surface Warfare (SUW). Through models developed in Microsoft Excel this thesis evaluates how speed and different fuel reserve levels impact Littoral Combat Ship fuel consumption and endurance of the two approved versions of LCS, analyzes the implication of these findings and other possible mission limiting factors on Littoral Combat Ship logistics and analyzes how the current CLF force structure in the Pacific will affect overall mission capability of LCS.