Overview
- CBO analyst Eric Labs presented a preliminary range showing a lead ship costing $14.3 billion to $20.6 billion if ordered now, reaching roughly $15.1 billion to $21.6 billion by 2030.
- Average follow-on ships are projected at $9 billion to $13 billion if procurement begins now, or $10 billion to $15 billion if the first order slips to 2030.
- Final pricing hinges on unresolved choices about displacement, crew size, weapons, survivability features and the complexity of integrating new systems.
- The analysis warns that skilled-labor shortfalls, supply-chain challenges and integration risks could further raise costs.
- First outlined by President Trump under the "Golden Fleet," the concept features a roughly 35,000-ton warship with advanced missiles, lasers and potentially railguns, sized at about twice a postwar cruiser or destroyer and about one-third of the $13 billion Gerald R. Ford carrier.