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President Donald Trump announced plans Monday for a new U.S. Navy warship he has described as a battleship, part of a broader initiative he calls the Golden Fleet.
The announcement included War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan, signaling the administration’s intent to make shipbuilding and fleet expansion a central national security priority, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The initiative focuses on a new class of surface combatants that the president has labeled Trump-class ships. The first vessel in the class is expected to be named the USS Defiant.
“They’ll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” President Trump said.
The Trump-class ships are envisioned as significantly larger than the Navy’s existing Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and are intended to serve as next-generation warships. The vessels are expected to displace roughly 30,000 tons and incorporate advanced technologies, including electromagnetic rail guns, directed-energy laser weapons and expanded capacity for long-range missiles. Officials familiar with the proposal said the design would allow for future integration of hypersonic weapons.
The planned announcement follows recent Navy efforts to reshape its surface fleet strategy amid growing concern about global security threats, particularly from China. The Navy recently moved to abandon its troubled Constellation-class frigate program and pursue a new frigate design based on an existing Coast Guard cutter, a shift intended to curb cost overruns and accelerate delivery timelines.
Supporters say the Golden Fleet concept is intended to pair modernization with a renewed emphasis on deterrence and global presence. Administration officials emphasize that increasing shipbuilding capacity and fielding more capable vessels are essential to long-term competition with Beijing.
“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 said in a statement concerning the announcement.
“Now when a conflict arises, you’re going to ask us two questions: where is the carrier, and where is the battleship,” he added.
Under the proposal, the Navy would open a competition among shipbuilders, with the first hull expected to be procured around 2030. Any final decision would require congressional approval and sustained funding.