Opinion | This overpriced, problem-plagued Navy ship is Exhibit A for when to cut your losses

Surely throwing away a 4-year-old ship is the epitome of wasteful defense spending, especially after billions were sunk into making it operational. But the most recent twist in the interminable saga of the struggling littoral combat ship — the Defense Department wants to decommission four of them — illuminates a fundamental paradox: Sometimes the least wasteful course of action is to discard things, even ones dearly paid for, that over time will cost you much more than they're worth.