No, I'm Not Over What NAVSEA Did to Constellation

still no accountability

As Ajay Patel outlines in his white paper,

…the United States Navy’s Constellation-class frigate program (was) not as a case of technical failure or flawed contracting, but as a breakdown in sustained stewardship over a sound acquisition construct. The program was conceived to adapt a mature, serially produced parent design; expand the U.S. surface-combatant industrial base; and impose cost discipline through a fixed-price structure that depended on preserving design stability and commonality. That construct remained coherent through early execution and even through extraordinary external disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic. The program did not fail because it proved infeasible. It became vulnerable when the continuity of senior ownership eroded. During a narrow period between mid-2022 and mid-2023, the program’s central premise—reliance on a proven parent design to control risk, cost, and schedule—was no longer actively defended as directed changes accumulated to comply with historical Navy shipbuilding specifications. Absent deliberate reconstitution of that premise, contractual and technical alignment degraded, and the program’s recovery pathways narrowed.

…

What ultimately undermined the Constellation class program was not insufficient compliance, but the Navy’s subsequent pursuit—particularly within NAVSEA—of near-total clean sheet design specification conformance after contract award. That shift displaced the program’s foundational premise, transforming a heritage-based adaptation into a de facto new-design effort without a corresponding reset of cost, schedule, or governance.

His paper is worth a full read. It isn’t short, but it is worth your time. Indeed, Plankholding members of the Front Porch know, the need to have a proper frigate is something we have been discussing in these spaces for—literally two decades. The path that became FFG(X) was first recommended here over a decade and a half ago. No need to replow that field. New readers can research here and at the OG Blog themselves if needed.

The Flight-I grey-hulled cutter—really an FF and not an FFG—does not answer the bell for a proper multi-mission frigate with a primary focus on anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

ASW is a perishable skill at the tactical, operational, and strategic level. You cannot just rely on submarines, aviation, or surface to do it properly. You need high readiness in all three warfare areas to do it properly. For those of us who have done no-kidding non-permissive ASW working with all three at once—it is science, art, and ballet.

Yes, the Arleigh Burke DDGs are great ASW platforms…but they have a higher and best use. We need that ASW frigate. That requirement cannot change.

Let’s go back to the Constellation Class FFG. Remember, it was supposed to be an American version of the Franco-Italian FREMM that it was derived from.

What are the existing FREMM up to?

The “Hook’em Award” rewards Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) excellence. It is presented quarterly to a unit supporting U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet (also known as US Naval Forces Europe) which has demonstrated superior ASW readiness, proficiency, and operational impact.

Vice Adm. Frederick C. Turner established the “Hook ‘Em” award in December 1975 to recognize 6th Fleet’s ships, submarines, and aircraft squadrons demonstrating ASW excellence. The award was discontinued two decades later, but it was reestablished by Adm. James G. Foggo III in 2016 during his tenure as Commander, US 6th Fleet.

So much sucked in the mid-1990s in the Navy.

This award of excellence was presented in Naples by Commodore Doug Sattler (CTF 69) to the commander of crew B of the FREMM Aquitaine, for the performance of his unit during anti-submarine operations in the North Atlantic during the year 2025.

Usually awarded to American units, this quarterly prize created in 1975 is once again given to a French unit. It thus marks the recognition of French know-how and the high degree of confidence accorded by our American partners, in a particularly strategic area for the security of allied operations in the Atlantic.

The ultra-performing sensors and information processing, analysis and intervention capabilities of the FREMMs and their embarked Caïman Marine helicopter make them formidable submarine hunters.

Trained and skilled, the crews of the Navy have acquired expertise to deploy them in operations. They are now recognized as among the best in the world.

I’m sorry Xavier Vavasseur, but I was about to copy-paste about 90% of your article. Instead, I’ll just note that this was the fourth time a French FREMM won the award. You’ll need to read the article for the full details.

Le sigh.