The Medium Landing Ship, or LSM, is a U.S. Navy and Marine Corps program to build a new class of landing ships that can transport Marines, vehicles, equipment, and supplies in support of Marine Corps operations.

The program is expected to begin with an initial group of up to eight ships in support of the Navy and Marine Corps’ planned 35-ship LSM fleet. These ships are intended to help Marines move and sustain forces in coastal and island environments where speed, flexibility, and reliable logistics are critical.

TOTE Services will serve as Vessel Construction Manager for the LSM program. In that role, TOTE Services will hold the prime contract with the Navy and manage shipyard subcontracts directly, creating one accountable management structure between government requirements and shipyard execution.

The shipyards building these vessels are central to the success of the LSM program. TOTE Services’s role is to support their work by helping create a clearer, more coordinated path to delivery: organizing requirements, managing risk, aligning suppliers and program stakeholders, and reducing friction wherever possible. By managing the complexity around construction, TOTE Services helps the shipyards focus on what they do best: build high-quality ships for the Navy, Marine Corps, and the Marines and sailors who will rely on them.

TOTE Services is ready to work with America’s shipyards, suppliers, manufacturers, and skilled trades to help bring this program to life and deliver ships the mission demands.

A Vessel Construction Manager, or VCM, is a commercial manager that oversees complex shipbuilding programs on behalf of a customer. In a government shipbuilding program, the government defines the mission and requirements, while the VCM manages the path to delivery: coordinating shipyards, suppliers, designers, construction oversight, testing, delivery, and warranty support.

TOTE Services has helped pioneer and prove this model in U.S. government shipbuilding through its role as VCM for the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program. That experience has proven how a commercially disciplined management structure can help align the full industry team, reduce friction, support cost and schedule discipline, and keep complex shipbuilding programs focused on delivering safe, high-quality vessels.

LSM comes at a critical moment for American shipbuilding. The United States needs to build ships faster, strengthen domestic industrial capacity, and create more reliable demand for the shipyards, suppliers, manufacturers, and skilled trades that national readiness depends on.

The program also directly supports Marine Corps readiness and Navy and Marine Corps modernization by helping Marines move and sustain forces in contested coastal and island environments. As a multi-ship program, LSM can help create the production rhythm the U.S. industrial base needs to plan, build, and deliver ships with greater efficiency.

VCM supports the Navy and Marine Corps by helping translate mission requirements into an executable shipbuilding program. The government defines what is needed, while TOTE Services helps manage the path from requirements to delivery.

That includes coordinating with shipyards, engaging suppliers, reducing cost and schedule risks, supporting configuration control, and helping maintain focus on quality, safety, and mission readiness.

TOTE Services is moving immediately to execute the program. Soon, TOTE Services will issue Requests for Proposal to qualified shipyards and begin coordinating with our partners. 

Our focus is on bringing the right industry team together, moving with urgency, and helping deliver ships Marines and sailors can count on.

Contact Addie Hall at ahall@toteservices.com.