Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said Friday the service will first take a strong look at the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to determine if the class can be modified to improve lethality and survivability to meet the entire requirement for 52 small surface combatants, but will pursue other options if capability gaps cannot be overcome. Mabus’ comments followed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's announcement five days earlier that he was cutting the planned purchases of the LCS from 52 to 32, and…
