Vice Adm. William Merz, the commander of 7th Fleet, said he is confident in the Littoral Combat Ship despite the program's technical issues and listed the vessels' mine countermeasures as the mission package he is most concerned about. Merz, speaking Thursday at the Mine Warfare Association's International Mine Technology Symposium, said he is a "big fan" of the LCS. "It turns out, it is highly survivable and highly effective when operating in the environment it was built for," he said...
