LCS Manning Report

7/29/2019 LCS Manning Report

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THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVYW A S H I N G T O N DC 2 0 3 5 0 1 0 0 0

The Honorable C. W. Bill YoungChairman, Subcommittee onDefenseCommittee on AppropriationsHouse ofRepresentativesWashington, DC 20515-6018Dear Mr. Chairman:

August 1, 2013

The enclosed report regarding manning of the Littoral Combat Ship is submitted tothe congressional defense committees as required by the committee report accompanyingthe Department ofDefense Appropriation Bill for Fiscal Year 2013 (Report 112-493 onH.R. 5856).

A similar letter has been sent to Chairmen McKeon, Durbin, and Levin. If I canbe of further assistance, please let me know.

Enclosure: as statedCopy to:The Honorable Peter J. ViscloskyRanking Member

Sincerely,


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THE SECRETARY OF T H E NAV YWASH INGTON DC 2.03501 000

The Honorable Howard P. McKeonChairman, Committee onArmed ServicesHouse ofRepresentativesWashington, DC 20515-6035Dear Mr. Chairman:

August 1, 2013


A similar letter has been sent to Chairmen Levin, Durbin, and Young. If I can beof further assistance, please let me know.

Enclosure: as statedCopy to:The Honorable Adam SmithRanking Member

Sincerely,


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T HE S E CRE T A RY O F T HE NA V YWASHI NG T O N DC 2 0 3 5 0 - 1 0 0 0

The Honorable Richard J. DurbinChairman, Subcommittee onDefenseCommittee on AppropriationsUnited States SenateWashington, DC 20510Dear Mr. Chairman:

August 1, 2013


A similar letter has been sent to Chairmen McKeon, Levin, and Young. If I can beof further assistance, please let me know.

Enclosure: as statedCopy to:The Honorable Thad CochranVice Chairman


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THE SECRETARY OF THE NAV YWASH INGTON DC 20350 1 00 0

The Honorable Carl LevinChairman, Committee onArmed ServicesUnited States SenateWashington, DC 20510-6050Dear Mr. Chairman:

August 1, 2013


A similar letter has been sent to Chairmen McKeon, Durbin, and Young. If I canbe of further assistance, please let me know.

Enclosure: as statedCopy to:The Honorable James M. InhofeRanking Member


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REPORT TO CONGRESS

LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPMANNING CONCEPTS

July 2013

Prepared by:OPNAV- SURFACE WARFARE2000 Navy Pentagon

Washington, DC 20350

To date, preparation of the report/study cost the Department ofDefense a total of approximately $3601.00 for the2013 Fiscal Year. This includes $0 in expenses and $3601.00 in DoD labor. Generated on 2013APR05. ReflD: 4-

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Table of Contents1. Requirement 22. Background 23. Future Manning Plans 34. Additional Crew Member Accommodations 45. Training Opportunities for Junior Crew Members 46. Projected Timeline for Proposed Manning Changes 47. Projected Cost of Ship Modifications to Accommodate Additional Crew Members 58. Conclusion 51. Requirement

The committee report accompanying the Department ofDefense Appropriations Bill forFiscal Year 2013 (Report 112-493 on H.R. 5658), on page 28, includes the following language:

The Committee directs the Secretary of the Navy to submit a report to the congressionaldefense committees not later than 120 days after enactment of this Act on future manningplans for the LCS. The report should include the Navy's plan for future manningrequirements, including how additional crewmembers will be accommodated based on theoutcome of the aforementioned pilot program, how training opportunities for junior crewmembers will be provided, a projected timeline for proposed manning changes, and aprojected cost of ship modifications to accommodate additional crew members.2. Background

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a key element of the Navy 's future force and is optimizedto assure access in the littorals by using an open architecture design, modular weapons, sensorsystems, and a variety ofmanned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain, and exploit maritimesupremacy. One of the key performance factors established in the vision for LCS was to reducelife cycle costs. The Navy wanted LCS to employ minimal manning concepts in the core crewand mission module detachments to the maximum extent possible.The Preliminary Design Interim Requirements Document dated February 10, 2003, set themanning targets for the LCS core crew at 15 (objective) and 50 (threshold). In 2003, based onthis requirement and through a Human Systems Integration analysis, the Navy determined that acore crew of 40 could conduct all functions necessary to maintain a combat ready Littoral

Combat Ship. Further, the Navy determined that 75 berthing spaces would be available on theship to support a core crew of 40 members, an embarked aviation detachment with 20 members,and a mission module detachment with 15 crew members, for a total LCS complement of 7 5Sailors.This aggressive manning target was intended to incentivize industry design teams to useautomation, which would allow the Navy to minimize crew size and manpower overhead andreduce LCS lifecycle costs. The emphasis on small crew size was influenced by Navy's desire topursue a "multi-crew, forward stationed" deployment model for LCS.

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In 2004, follow-on functional workload analysis found that a core crew size of 40 would beinsufficient to perform all functions required to sustain operations, and that core crew size shouldbe increased. Further, in 2012, a Navy Resources, Requirements and Review Board, added therequirement for the ship to carry one MH-60 and up to three Vertical Take-off and LandingUnmanned Aerial Vehicles at all times. This requirement, approved by the LCS OversightCouncil, increased the size of the aviation detachment to 23 in order to meet maintenance andoperational support requirements of the aircraft. This decision prompted the LCS Program'sConfiguration Change Board to add three additional berthing spaces to LCS 1 and 2 in postdelivery availabilities which increased the total berths available to78.

Again, Navy planners knew these manning targets were aggressive and might need to beadjusted based on experience with operating the Flight 0 ships.3. Future Manning Plans

On March 1, 2013, USS FREEDOM (LCS 1) deployed with an additional10 core crewpersonnel as part of a pilot program, developed in response to lessons learned from FREEDOM'sfirst deployment in 2010.During FREEDOM's first deployment, the ship conducted extended operations in theSOUTHERN COMMAND Area ofResponsibility, supporting Counter-Illicit Trafficking andTheater Security Cooperation missions with a for 40-member core crew, a Surface Warfaremission package, and an MH-60 aviation detachment. FREEDOM also participated in the Rim

of the Pacific exercise, where it was incorporated into the stressful environment of a CarrierStrike Group to analyze the capabilities and determine limiting factors of a minimally mannedship. The ship met mission requirements, but several concurrent evolutions in a high-optempoenvironment fatigued the crew, which degraded crew readiness and performance levels.Data from LCS operations, particularly from FREEDOM's early operational deployment andperformance during major fleet exercises, suggested the need to increase the. core crewcomplement to accommodate more maintenance and watch requirements. The Navy will capturelessons learned from the current deployment with 50 core crew personnel and determine whetheradjustments to core crew size are necessary. Navy will also analyze results from experiencegained during Mine Warfare Missions (MCM) developmental testing in USS INDEPENDENCE(LCS 2) to determine whether the MCM package crew of 15 is correct. Similar studies willvalidate manning levels for the other two mission modules.Additionally, there are three newly-commissioned Ensigns assigned to FREEDOM andINDEPENDENCE crews as a limited pilot program in order to determine the feasibility of

assigning junior officers to LCS crews. By assigning junior surface warfare officers to LCScrews as their first operational command, Navy will be able to develop officers with LCSexperience, establishing a foundation of future LCS-experienced Department Heads, ExecutiveOfficers, and Commanding Officers with valuable previous sea time onboard LCS. TheseEnsigns have completed the baseline surface warfare division officer training, as well as similarLCS training pipelines to other LCS Sailors, and initial reports from both ships are that thesejunior officers are performing exceedingly well, on par with their counterparts on other ships,and have been positive factors in their crews.

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4. Additional Crew Member AccommodationsIn preparation for FREEDOM's 2013 Western Pacific deployment, 20 additional permanentberths were installed to accommodate the growth in the core crew and aviation detachment.Permanent berths will also be added to INDEPENDENCE during Post Shakedown Availability

in September 2013. None of the crew in FREEDOM or any other LCS are in temporary ormodule berths.In May 2013, the Navy determined that additional permanent accommodations for a totalcrew size of 98 should be incorporated in all LCS class ships. Program Executive Office (PEO)LCS has been directed to add permanent accommodations on LCS 3 and LCS 4 in the near futureand on all follow-on ships, through either forward-fit or back-fit.

5. Training Opportunities for Junior Crew MembersThe original LCS minimal manning construct envisioned LCS Sailors to be highly trainedand experienced. This premise was based upon the theory that LCS Sailors are required to arrive

aboard the ship ready to assume all duties with minimal ship board training required. Thisminimal manning framework precludes the traditional apprentice-to-journeyman construct andwould require Sailors to arrive onboard with all qualifications completed, both at an individualand at the team level. On-the-job training would only be used for minimal familiarization andsustainment training.In March 2013, FREEDOM's three newly-commissioned Ensigns demonstrated the validity

of utilizing a Train to Qualify (T2Q) based model. These three Ensigns completed a rigoroussimulated "at sea" program at the Littoral Combat Ship Training Facility. This training enabledEnsigns to garner the skill sets required to qualify in advanced watchstanding positions as part ofthe bridge watch team, before reporting aboard. After only a few days at sea, these Ensignsformally qualified as Junior Officer of the Deck. Their presence also enables the SurfaceCommunity to analyze the impacts of a hybrid (T2Q)/on-the-job training and qualificationsconstruct, and to grow a base of officers who can re-tour on LCS. This pilot program will help'form the basis for how training of future first tour officers may be accomplished.

Concurrently, as part of the 10 additional core crew members onboard FREEDOM, the Navyis evaluating the feasibility of assigning junior enlisted Sailors as a relatively small segment ofLCS crews. These junior Sailors receive the same LCS shore-based Train to Qualify/Train toCertify (T2Q/T2C) preparation as all other LCS Sailors, and would be assigned duties andresponsibilities onboard commensurate with their junior ranks. Initial assessments of uniorenlisted personnel onboard LCS have shown positive results for both the individuals and theirassigned crews, and the initial LCS training and experience these Sailors receive accelerates theirprofessional growth and development.6. Projected Timeline for Proposed Manning Changes

The Navy has no manning changes currently programmed. The pilot programs for theincrease of core crew to 50 arid for the assignment of three Ensigns will generate lessons learnedthat will be analyzed to determine whether permanent changes are necessary. Navy will fullyevaluate all previous lessons learned and future manning options following FREEDOM's current4


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deployment. The Navy expects to complete this evaluation in FY14 and incorporate anyproposed manning changes beginning in FY15.7. Projected Cost of Ship Modifications to Accommodate Additional CrewMembers

The habitability modification for LCS 3 will be executed using the Navy ModernizationProgram funding line in Fiscal Year 2013 at a cost of approximately $600,000. The habitabilitymodifications for LCS 4 will be pursued using Fiscal Year 2014 reprogramming actions at a costof approximately $700,000. Modification costs to LCS 3 and LCS 4 only include the moneynecessary to increase the number of total berthing available aboard by changing the current 2-high bunk configuration to a 3-high bunk configuration. This habitability modification does notinclude modifying the ship for other necessities that come with increased crew size, such as thecapability for increased food storage, potable water generation, and sewage collection. Thehabitability modifications for LCS 5 and follow-on ships in the initial block buy will require adesign and engineering study which will cost approximately $6 million to complete both shipclasses -- $3 million for the INDEPENDENCE class and $3 million for the FREEDOM class.This cost is associated with the non-recurring engineering elements required to modify each shipfor increased food storage, potable water consumption, solid waste storage, and changes to theHV AC equipment. A design and engineering study will determine the change order cost of eachfollowing ship in the block buy. Future programming submissions will fund these habitabilitymodifications.8. Conclusion

Based on current analysis and lessons learned from FREEDOM's deployment, LCS will beconfigured to support up to 98 total personnel, to include core crew, Mission Packagedetachment, and aviation detachment. Projected costs to modify ships to accommodate thismanning level are $600,000 for LCS 3 and $700,000 for LCS 4. Projected design andengineering costs for future ships are estimated at $6 million for both LCS variants. The costs tomodified follow on ships will be addressed in future budgets.

Manpower and workload analyses of FREEDOM's eight-month deployment to the WesternPacific will continue through her deployment. Finally, Navy Manpower Analysis Center willconduct a study aboard FREEDOM in early 2014 to support the development of the LCS Ship'sManpower Document (SMD) which will further codify manpower requirements and policies andvalidate crew size, crew rotation construct, and associated shore manpower required to operateand support the LCS class.

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Documents

LCS Manning Report