Top naval shipbuilding officials say common systems are important for controlling lifecycle costs and more quickly introducing weapons upgrades, but also caution that pushing for commonality does not make sense in every acquisition. Rear Adm. Thomas Kearney, the deputy commander at Naval Sea Systems Command for acquisition and commonality (SEA-06), is responsible for reducing the number of unique components in Navy ships and systems. But he said the Navy must pick and choose where it tries to introduce common elements...
