Editor's Note: This story has been updated to incorporate Defense Secretary Robert Gates' testimony at an afternoon hearing of the House Armed Services Committee. The story also originally misidentified Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) as a Democrat. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a Senate panel this morning that the Littoral Combat Ship, or a vessel like it, is "really needed" by the Navy as the service tries to reach a 313-ship fleet in the coming years. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) asked...
