“As commander in chief, it’s my great honor to announce that I have approved a plan for the Navy to begin the construction of two brand-new, very large — largest we’ve ever built — battleships,” said President Donald J. Trump. He added that the ships will form part of a new “golden fleet” and be built entirely in the United States by American workers.
Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan said the new class is urgently required and compared it to the Iowa-class battleships that served as a cornerstone of US naval power in the 20th century. “The future Trump-class battleship, the USS Defiant, will be the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best-looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans,” Phelan said.
“The Iowa was designed to go on the attack with the biggest guns, and that’s exactly what will define the Trump-class battleships: offensive firepower from the biggest guns of our era,” Phelan said. “This ship isn’t just to swat the arrows; it is going to reach out and kill the archers.”
The Navy plans for the Trump class to eventually number between 20 and 25 ships, replacing earlier plans for the DDG(X) destroyer while incorporating capabilities intended for that programme. The ships are expected to carry hypersonic weapons, electronic rail guns and high-powered laser systems alongside conventional guns and missiles.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the programme supports broader defence priorities. “American strength is back on the world stage, and the announcement of the golden fleet anchored by new battleships — the biggest and most lethal ever — accomplishes all three of those things and marks a generational commitment to American sea power across the entire department,” he said.
The Navy will lead the design effort in partnership with the US defence industrial base, with construction expected to generate thousands of jobs nationwide. The announcement follows recent confirmation of the new FF(X) frigate programme and marks the first plan to introduce battleships since the Iowa-class last saw combat in 1991 during the Gulf War.
