Bringing Back the APD

In the November 5th edition of Navy Times, there is an article called "Marine Delivery May Be Part Of LCS’ Future" where for the first time, the Navy is talking about the LCS as a APD.

For those unaware, APD is officially described as a "High Speed Transport" by the Navy, although many of us prefer the term "Auxiliary Personnel Destroyer" or "Destroyer Transport."

In years to come, the Navy could develop littoral combat ship modules to carry Marines to the fight, perform special operations missions and deliver humanitarian aid and disaster relief, said Rear Adm. Victor Guillory, the Navy's director of surface warfare requirements.

"I don't want to rule anything out," Guillory said in an Oct. 24 interview.

Robert Work of hte Center for Strategic and Budgetary Studies discussed this option for the LCS a few years go. In his discussions with both General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, at the time he made the argument that if you had one of each ship you could fully support the deployment and sustainment of a single reinforced mechanized rifle company.

I think it is interesting how the LCS is discussed like it can fit every role. The program of record is for 3 mission modules supporting MIW, ASuW, and ASW. The 2005 QDR specifically cites another mission module that has gone ignored, the SOF module. That doesn't include the export versions, and now we have the Marines looking for a APD module.

For a ship that 7 total were planned to be built by now, 4 of which have been funded, and could ultimately be nothing more than two 1-class vessels after 6 years if Congress decides to get nasty in the next few weeks, this program gets an amazing amount of hype.