The Navy officially established a new combined program executive office (PEO) for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program yesterday, with Rear Adm. James Murdoch as its program executive officer and Anne Sandel as its executive director.
The ship effort previously operated under two such offices, PEO Ships for the seaframes and PEO Littoral and Mine Warfare for the mission modules that are swapped in and out of the different hulls. The littoral and mine-warfare office was disestablished after its LCS functions were transferred to the new PEO LCS and non-LCS functions were assumed elsewhere in the Navy, the service said yesterday.
Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley said in a memo establishing the new PEO that consolidating the LCS functions–from procurement to fleet sustainment–is intended to ensure the high-profile program is delivered to the fleet successfully.
“This action takes efforts that are currently managed across multiple organizations, and integrates design and development and tests, trials and evaluations under one roof,” Stackley said. “PEO LCS will have authority across all aspects of the program.”
The move to co-locate the shipbuilding and mission modules programs along with fleet introduction is “designed to optimize program communication and increased programmatic synergy,” the Navy said in a statement.
The service said PEO LCS will include multiple program offices: LCS (PMS 501), Remote Minehunting System (PMS 403), Unmanned Maritime Systems (PMS 406), LCS Mission Modules (PMS 420), and Mine Warfare (PMS 495), as well as “essential fleet introduction program and functional offices” such as test and evaluation and aviation integration.
The new PEO was established during a ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard.