WASHINGTON — The office of the secretary of
defense (OSD) has directed the US Navy to limit its overall buy of
littoral combat ships to a total of 32 ships, foregoing 20 more of the
small, fast and controversial warships, Pentagon sources have confirmed.
The
decision, in a Jan. 6 memo from Acting Deputy Defense Secretary
Christine Fox, came after the Pentagon received its final 2015 budget
guidance from the White House. Several major acquisition decisions,
including direction on what to do with the LCS program, were awaiting
the numbers from the Office of Management and Budget.