The CRS paper, titled Navy Guided Missile Battleship (BBG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress, was released on 30 December 2025 and provides lawmakers with background information and key questions ahead of upcoming defence budget deliberations.
The report outlines the administration’s proposal to procure a new class of large surface combatants, designated BBG(X), intended to be larger and more heavily armed than any cruiser or destroyer currently in service. The ships are planned as part of a broader “Golden Fleet” vision that would see a significant expansion of the U.S. Navy’s surface force.
According to the CRS analysis, the first BBG(X) vessel — reported to be named USS Defiant — is expected to be ordered in the early 2030s, with projected introduction into service in the late 2030s or around 2040. The design phase is already under way, with the Navy posting contract notices for six-year design work late last year.
The BBG(X) design calls for a ship approximately 840–880 feet long and displacing over 35,000 tonnes, making it substantially larger than current surface combatants such as the DDG-51 destroyer.
While the CRS report stops short of recommending a particular course of action, it frames a series of critical issues for Congress to consider, including the rationale for building battleships in the 21st century, cost-effectiveness relative to other Navy programmes, and whether the proposal has been informed by robust alternatives analysis.
In a Department of War press release in December, President Donald J. Trump and senior defence officials unveiled elements of the administration’s vision for the new vessel, touting it as the largest, most lethal and most versatile warship ever planned by the U.S. Navy. The first ship, the USS Defiant, was described as forming the core of a future fleet of some 20 to 25 Trump-class battleships built entirely in American shipyards.
Officials said the battleships would be equipped with advanced weapons including hypersonic missiles, electronic railguns and high-powered laser systems — though key technologies remain in development.
The proposal has already drawn scrutiny from defence analysts and lawmakers alike, with questions raised over whether large, heavily armed surface ships fit with modern naval warfare concepts focused on distributed lethality and networked systems.
The CRS report will form a key reference point for Congress as it prepares to review the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan and decide whether to approve, amend or reject funding for the BBG(X) programme in the coming months.
