Overview
- Announced on Dec. 22 as the flagship of a new Golden Fleet, the ship is pitched as a very large surface combatant with hypersonic Conventional Prompt Strike weapons, a nuclear-capable cruise missile option, and possible railgun and laser systems.
- Public materials consist of CGI imagery and high-level claims, with reporting pointing to sparse specifications, distant timelines into the early 2030s, and officials saying design work has started.
- Some experts frame the rollout as signaling toward China, yet they note that current Indo-Pacific deterrence relies on distributed kill webs, littoral denial, and the readiness of submarines and carriers.
- Defense analysts cite a strained U.S. shipbuilding base, chronic delays and overruns, and doctrine favoring many smaller ships, estimating per‑ship costs could exceed $8–10 billion and yield only a tiny class, if any.
- Critics highlight escalation risks tied to sea-launched nuclear cruise missiles that are hard to distinguish from conventional variants, and they question the utility of a large, high-value target in modern naval warfare.