In the early 2000’s the Navy decided it needed new ships to compete with Chinese vessels which were faster, sleeker, and could outperform our own clunkers. The Pentagon came up with what was called the "Littoral Combat Ship” that was supposed to be a cheap, fast, reliable, technological wonder that could do anything.
Instead, the first 35 ships that were built over a period of 20 years cost us taxpayers close to a billion dollars each and they turned out to be lemons with many of them sitting idle and unused.
So after spending billions of dollars and getting very little, the Navy finally decided to pull the plug on the program. But the minute defense contractors who were building these boats got wind of the plan, they jumped on the next plane to WA DC and began lobbying. Congressional Representatives who took the most in campaign contributions told the Navy that they knew best and through an amendment to a must pass piece of legislation last year, they forced the Navy to keep building and using those flawed vessels.
You see, that's how it works in Washington. You don't bite the hand that feeds you, even if that hand is morally and ethically repugnant. And we're the ones who pay.
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