Overview
- President Trump announced a branded “Trump‑class” battleship series within a proposed Golden Fleet to boost U.S. naval power and shipbuilding.
- The Sydney Morning Herald reports most experts doubt the ships will ever sail, citing an estimated cost of about $13.4 billion per vessel and a mismatch with current Navy concepts.
- An Arkansas Online analysis notes a fact sheet given to CNN describing ships up to 880 feet and 40,000 tons, with unit costs around $15 billion, which would make them the most expensive U.S. surface warships if built.
- Navy Secretary John Phelan has described shipbuilding programs as over budget and late, with U.S. yards and skilled labor already stretched and a recently canceled Constellation‑class frigate program underscoring production woes.
- Coverage contrasts the battleship vision with modern doctrine that prioritizes missiles, drones and sensor networks, and it sets the plan against China’s larger fleet and dominant commercial shipyard order book.