Wasted Billions of Taxpayers’ Dollars Has Resulted in a Weaker, Less Lethal Navy

The U.S. Navy’s eagerness for new ship designs driving lucrative contracts for new ship constructions has largely produced poor results and wasted money.

A member of the USS Sioux City salutes from the Freedom class of littoral combat ship, during the ship's commissioning ceremony on Nov. 17, 2018, at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File

Commentary

On Aug. 14, the $460 million littoral combat ship USS Sioux City, after less than five years in service, was decommissioned. That the Navy is retiring ships that were supposed to serve for a minimum of 25 years in just five years is frustrating. That the Navy dumped another $4 million to $5 million into the ship to fix its combining gear just a few months before decommissioning the ship is maddening.