McCain Won’t Block Defense Nominee in Over Littoral Ship

Senator John McCain says he won’t attempt to block the nomination of former Navy official Robert Work as the Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian over his unstinting support for the service’s $34 billion Littoral Combat Ship.

Work defended the program, including the Navy’s decision to begin production “before the design was stable,” in an eight-page letter to McCain dated March 5. The ship, lightly armed and intended for missions in shallow waters close to shore, “remains a special case,” Work wrote.

“While Senator McCain was disappointed by some of Mr. Work’s answers” to questions posed during and after his Feb. 25 confirmation hearing, the Arizona Republican “will not be holding his nomination” as deputy defense secretary, spokeswoman Rachael Dean said in an e-mailed statement.

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