The Navy designated the Independence version of its Littoral Combat Ship battle-ready in late December, clearing the way for the trimaran-hulled ship to forward deploy to the Western Pacific later this year. The service declared initial operational capability for the Independence version of the LCS on Dec. 24, according to Naval Sea Systems Command spokesman Dale Eng. The declaration came after the Navy completed initial operational test and evaluation of the surface warfare mission package aboard one of the even-numbered...
