Overview
- President Donald Trump announced at Mar-a-Lago that the Navy will begin with two large warships in a new Trump-class, with renderings showing a USS Defiant and an eventual goal of 20 to 25 ships.
- The administration describes vessels of roughly 30,000–40,000 tons equipped for hypersonic missiles, nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missiles, railguns, high-powered lasers and AI, though several of these systems remain developmental.
- A U.S. official told the Associated Press that design work has begun and construction is planned to start in the early 2030s, tempering claims of work beginning “immediately.”
- Navy Secretary John Phelan framed the ships as part of a broader Golden Fleet concept that also includes a new frigate based on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class cutter, with the first hull targeted to be in the water by 2028.
- Analysts highlight major cost and capacity constraints in U.S. shipbuilding, likely limiting construction to HII or General Dynamics, and raise concerns about treaty issues tied to nuclear-armed cruise missiles; Trump said he will press defense primes next week on speed, investment and buybacks.
