Milwaukee has only been used twice: earlier this year and in 2022. It has worked with law enforcement and the United States Coast Guard. In the second case, the ship’s crew participated in the interception of drug smuggling and confiscated cocaine worth $30 million destined for the United States, Marine Insight reports.
The littoral combat ship program would offer the Navy fast, powerful ships that could operate on the high seas, gradually taking on both coastal and underwater targets. Instead, the cost of the program continued to rise, and the U.S. Navy and Army began shifting strategy and doctrine toward naval combat near the Pacific. The LCS Sioux City was decommissioned in August after being in service for five years. At the same time, the fiscal year 2023 budget provides for the decommissioning of nine Freedom-class LCS ships.
As military experts noted, ships of this class suffered from constant breakdowns and mechanical failures, and the heavy reliance on contractors meant that sailors were not trained to repair their own ships.
