Speaking at the Surface Navy Association conference in Arlington, Virginia, officials said the US Navy would keep five Freedom-class and two Independence-class ships, bringing the total LCS fleet to 28 small surface combatants. Acting LCS program manager Jay Iungerich said there were currently no signals from senior leadership to proceed with further early retirements, reflecting a broader shift in US Navy priorities. The decision to retain the LCS may indicate US efforts to deploy a low-end general-purpose combatant and halt a short-term fleet decline. However, US Navy fleet-sizing problems may give the LCS a temporary, if not second, lease on life. He adds that while LCS deployments can take the strain off the US destroyer fleet, it has not yet been the case.