When former US secretary of defence Chuck Hagel announced in early 2014 that he was directing the US Navy (USN) to reassess its Small Surface Combatant (SSC) programme against a backdrop of budgetary challenges and evolving security threats, questions were raised once again over the future of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme. Made during the Pentagon's annual budget unveiling, Hagel's announcement also prohibited the navy from entering into new LCS construction contracts beyond the 32nd ship, prompting many to believe that the death knell for the much-criticised programme was sounding.
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