US names new LCS USS Oakland
The US Navy’s next Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS) will be named USS Oakland (LCS 24), the US Department of Defense’s Secretary of the Navy announced on 20 August.
The LCS provides the navy with essential war fighting capabilities and operational flexibility to accomplish various missions such as surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and mine warfare.
The USS Oakland will be 419 feet long and will be constructed in Mobile, Alabama by Austal USA. The ship has a modular design and interchangeable mission packages as per changing combat needs.
The packages are supported by detachments that deploy both unmanned and manned vehicles and sensors, in support of mine, undersea and surface warfare missions.
More from Naval Warfare
-
SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations
US Naval Special Warfare Command is assessing the feasibility of rapidly producing expendable mid-sized USVs in theatre to support SOF and maritime security missions.
-
MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
-
SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort
The US Army Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare are accelerating efforts to integrate commercial uncrewed systems, with NSW broadening its solicitation to include USVs and UUVs alongside new requirements for ISR, kinetic operations and swarm technologies.
-
SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission
The MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV has set a new endurance benchmark as the US Navy pushes deeper into autonomous maritime warfare.
-
UK Royal Navy dock build question remains open ahead of Programme Euston tender
The UK MoD’s Programme Euston floating dry dock tender has exposed a question about the UK’s naval industrial base: does Britain still have the depth to sustain its own deterrent without foreign intervention.