President Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to develop the Trump class of large surface combatants for the Navy under its new Golden Fleet initiative, beginning with the proposed USS Defiant (BBG-1), a guided missile battleship.
The USS Defiant and subsequent Trump-class ships are in the design and planning phase, with construction and full funding subject to future Navy budgeting and congressional authorization. The recently signed defense bill includes $26 billion allocated for the construction of new Navy ships.
Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that the program would begin “immediately” with two Trump-class ships, then “quickly” expand to 10 ships, and eventually grow to include 20 to 25 new vessels.
If built, the Trump class would mark the Navy’s first new battleship design since the Iowa-class ships, the last of which was commissioned during World War II. The Navy formally decommissioned its final battleships in the early 1990s, shifting surface combatant development toward cruisers and destroyers optimized for missile warfare and carrier escort missions.
The Trump-class battleship would be a large surface combatant intended to provide power projection, offensive strike, and integrated air and missile defense missions, according to Navy materials. At 840' to 880' long with a 105' to 115' beam, the class is projected to be slightly smaller than the largest 887'x108' Iowa class ship, yet significantly larger than the current 509.5'x66' Arleigh Burke class destroyer.
“We’re in desperate need of ships,” Trump said. “Some of them have gotten old and tired and obsolete, and we’re going to be going in the exact opposite direction.”
The new battleships would be armed with advanced weapons, including hypersonic and nuclear-armed cruise missiles, electric rail guns, and high-powered lasers, making them the most sophisticated and lethal surface warfare ships.
"They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," Trump said.
Official specifications released on the Navy's website state the class will be capable of operating independently, as part of a Carrier Strike Group, or commanding its own Surface Action Group. The platform is also described as providing forward command and control for both manned and unmanned systems.
“As we forge the future of our Navy’s Fleet, we need a larger surface combatant and the Trump-class battleships meet that requirement… resulting in a fleet unparalleled in lethality, adaptability, and strength,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations, said in a statement.
INDUSTRY SUPPORT
The Golden Fleet is described by the Navy as a program to “revitalize America’s maritime industrial base, rapidly building and sustaining the fleet, and fundamentally changing how we do business in order to keep projecting peace through power.”
The Trump-class design and construction process will use a Navy-led, industry-collaborative approach with participation from more than 1,000 suppliers across the United States.
The construction of the new battleships is part of a broader effort to rebuild and strengthen the Navy and military capabilities, including increasing submarine development, aircraft carrier production, and shipbuilding capacity across the defense industrial base.
Under the Golden Fleet plan, the Navy said it will "continue to build and employ DDG 51 as its fleet workhorse and develop FF(X) as a highly produceable combatant, growing the fleet rapidly through a more intentional high/low mix of capability and platforms."
"We will have more tonnage and firepower under construction than ever before in our history. Building the President's Golden Fleet means jobs across the United States now. There'll be work for shipyards everywhere, from Philadelphia to San Diego, from Maine to Mississippi, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast, and for manufacturers that will build components for this battleship in every state, Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan said during the Mar-a-Lago press conference.
"The President has been clear. We must bring back our American maritime industrial might. And he has told me many times that as Secretary of the Navy, it is my job to equip our sailors to win the fight at sea with the finest ships in our history," Phelan added.
The administration plans to meet with defense contractors next week to address issues around production delays, high executive pay, and stock buybacks, in order to incentivize faster delivery of key military equipment, Trump said.
