President Donald Trump on Monday announced the United States would be building two new battleships to be part of the Navy’s “Golden Fleet.”
Trump, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Peter Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, announced the “Golden Fleet” of Navy ships. Trump said the U.S. would start building two ships, with the ultimate goal of having between 20 and 25 “Golden Fleet” ships total.
“These ships will be the first of a whole new class of battleships in the years to come,” Trump said. “America’s battleships have always been unmistakable symbols of American power.”
The Navy has steadily been increasing its shipbuilding capacity, with the goal to increase its overall fleet. When analyzing the Navy’s 2025 spending plan, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that total ship building costs would average $40 billion over the next 30 years.
Under the Navy’s 2025 purchasing plan, the number of battle force ships in the Navy would increase from 295 today to 390 in 2054. Overall, the Navy would purchase more current generation ships and smaller ships.
John Phelan, secretary of the Navy, said the new class of battleships will contain capacity to carry the nuclear-armed sea launch cruise missile. He highlighted that the Navy will have increased capabilities due to
“This is just one piece of the president’s golden fleet that we’re going to build,” Phelan said.
Trump said the new battleships will use hypersonic weapons and high powered lasers to the ship’s capabilities.
The Navy announced Friday it would commission a new class of frigates to be built in the United States. Frigates are meant to escort larger sea vessels, general patrols and anti-submarine warfare.
Hegseth highlighted the ship building as an example of the administration’s efforts to deter narcotrafficking behavior. He highlighted recent strikes of alleged narcotics smugglers in the Caribbean ocean.
“With every strike, we’re saving American lives,” Hegseth said. “No other president is willing to do real deterrence.”
Trump criticized an overall slow down of shipbuilding in the Navy. The latest battleship the Navy was first commissioned in 1944 and then recommissioned during the Gulf War in 1986.
“We’re going to restore America as a major ship building power. We’re going to ensure the USA has the most powerful fleet anywhere in the world and long into the future with battleships helping lead the way,” Trump said.
