By MATHIEU RABECHAULT
ABOARD USS FREEDOM, SINGAPORE — US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Sunday visited the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship deployed in Singapore, a symbol of Washington’s strategic “pivot” towards Asia.
The LCS is designed as the Navy’s ultimate multitasking vessel despite significant development problems.
The USS Freedom, the first of 52 LCS vessels which the Navy plans to build at a total cost of $37 billion, arrived in mid-April in Singapore for its first deployment.
Four LCS, which are designed to operate close to shore, will eventually be forward-deployed at the city-state’s Changi naval base as part of Washington’s military “rebalancing” towards the Asia-Pacific.
The aim is to increase the US military presence in the region by avoiding a two-week voyage from the US West Coast before deployment.
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