ILSM’s Glossary Relating to Littoral Combat Ships

ILSM has been reading more about littoral combat ships. As he read the articles, it occurs to him that perhaps a small glossary would be useful. Not finding one, he developed his own…

——-

Access: The ability to destroy the sovereignty of any entity we wish.

Anti Access: The enemy states’ strategy to prevent the US from taking it over.

Asymmetrical Threats: The target is a kid with a small arm and we need to spend billions to kill each one. Code word for very expensive!

Capability: The ability to perform some unnecessary function. Becomes equal to a need, even though there is no real issue to get the capability to satisfy. The foundation of how the DoD describes what it desires. Never question the capability.

Codes for Military Terms I:

Concept: Addresses the capability. Code for describing hugely expensive things to deliver the capability.

Data Fusion: Bill Gates uses it this must be an important thing for developing the capability to sell this system.

Distributed Force: US forces garrisoned around the world can assist each other the same as X Legion marching across the Rubicon.

Employ: The least likely thing that could happen to the weapon system is to use it.

Flexibility: The key to military success. Not mentioned in the LCS article.

Littoral Environment: A place where the Blue Water Navy can cover a profitable new generation of ships which the shipyards cannot design.

Mission: Fictitious use for a capability. Applied concepts. Usually formulated as the most expensive, large forces way to do a job that is not needed to be done.

Modular: Refers to the modules going into the platform to keep it impossible to see whether the thing is done, works or delivers some capability.

Modules: Need huge ship that can be reconfigured for new missions. Make it impossible to figure out what the ship is supposed to do. Establish the need for a huge logistics tail.Code word for incredibly expensive!

Network Centric: A reason for huge communications infrastructure so some guy in Washington can help the on scene commander to justify a capability.

Open Systems Architecture: Archaic SW geek term. Sounds really technical. The kind of thing that some geek will know it when they see it. Fortunately admirals are not geeks, so they see it when it is done. Code word for very expensive!

Optimal Manning Concepts: Spend a ton more money on hardware and software so you don’t need so many sailors.

Platform: Code word for ill defined hugely expensive ships, airplanes or vehicles. Has to be complex and extremely expensive. Creates the environment to continually spend money to increase the platform’s complexity. Never ending engineering, keep the designers in the green.

Reconfigure: What you do to justify the modules. Usually takes a huge amount of time and so the flexibility suggested is not delivered. Code word for very expensive!

Smart Control Systems: How the guy in Washington makes sure the guy in the field is (not) doing it right.

Stealthy Surface Combatant: A big submarine that does not submerge. Can only operate at night and or inclement weather. Code word for very expensive!

Support Diplomatic Efforts: Fiction that the US has any diplomacy. Gunboat diplomacy.

Technology: The things that provide the capability, but not quite ready to put in the field.

Threat: Fear, fictitious fear that creates the pretense for a mission. Capabilities search for these. Should be identified before capabilities, but that is too limiting. Have to be creative with the capabilities then find the threats. Like cave dwelling Islamofascists.

——-

This glossary was by ILSM.