Trump Unveils Powerful New Navy Battleship: Golden Fleet/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump has revealed plans for a new class of massive warships, beginning with the USS Defiant, as part of a “Golden Fleet.” Trump claims the ships will surpass past battleships in power, size, and technology, including lasers and hypersonic weapons. However, experts cite development delays, treaty issues, and historical precedent as significant obstacles.
Trump’s Golden Fleet Vision Quick Looks
- Trump proposes a new battleship-class warship: the USS Defiant
- The vessel will integrate hypersonic missiles, lasers, and railguns
- Project dubbed the “Golden Fleet,” aiming to modernize sea power
- Critics note past Navy delays and abandoned tech like railguns
- USS Defiant is expected to be lighter, smaller-crewed than WWII ships
- Design to start soon, with construction planned for early 2030s
- Trump claims direct involvement in design for “aesthetic” reasons
- Nuclear missile plans could clash with global arms treaties
Deep Look: Trump’s Battleship Ambition Revives Classic Naval Power in “Golden Fleet” Vision
WASHINGTON (SEO News) – In a dramatic announcement made at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump declared the return of a once-dominant symbol of naval might: the battleship. As the centerpiece of his proposed “Golden Fleet,” the new vessel, named the USS Defiant, aims to push technological and strategic boundaries.
“They’ll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” Trump boasted during the event. Designed to outclass even the famed Iowa-class ships of World War II, the USS Defiant is envisioned as a futuristic guided missile battleship incorporating cutting-edge tech including hypersonic missiles, railguns, laser weaponry, and nuclear cruise missiles.
Despite Trump’s enthusiastic pitch, naval analysts point to a series of challenges. The U.S. Navy has historically struggled with similar projects. Notably, the railgun project, once hyped as a revolution in naval warfare, was scrapped in 2021 after more than 15 years and hundreds of millions of dollars in research. Laser technology has fared better but remains limited in deployment, currently used primarily in counter-drone systems on a handful of destroyers.
Additionally, the inclusion of nuclear cruise missiles may raise red flags under current arms control agreements, particularly with Russia. Deploying such weapons at sea could violate longstanding non-proliferation treaties the U.S. has signed.
According to a senior U.S. defense official, the design phase of the USS Defiant is already underway, with construction targeted for the early 2030s. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, speaking alongside Trump, framed the ship as a modern spiritual successor to the 20th-century battleships.
However, traditional battleships—large, armor-plated ships with massive artillery—saw their relevance wane following World War II. Aircraft carriers and missile-equipped submarines have since taken the lead in global naval dominance. Even when the Navy modernized four Iowa-class ships in the 1980s with cruise missiles, those were decommissioned by the 1990s.
The proposed Golden Fleet, as outlined on a newly launched website, envisions a 35,000-ton ship, significantly lighter than the 60,000-ton Iowa-class but similar in length. The USS Defiant will rely more on missile systems than conventional naval guns and require a smaller crew of 650–850 sailors, aligning with modern automation trends.
Trump has long been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the current state of U.S. naval aesthetics and technology. In his previous term, he criticized the Navy’s shift to electromagnetic catapults for aircraft carriers and even claimed to have influenced warship designs during a 2020 visit to a shipyard.
“I said, ‘That’s a terrible-looking ship, let’s make it beautiful,’” Trump recounted. He now vows to directly participate in designing the USS Defiant, stating, “I’m a very aesthetic person.”
Navy Secretary Phelan confirmed Trump’s involvement, revealing that the former president frequently texts him late at night regarding ship design and maintenance, including concerns about rust on naval vessels.
While no official cost estimate has been released, experts caution that integrating advanced technologies into a single warship has proven difficult and costly. The Navy’s prior attempts at new ship classes—such as the Ford-class carriers and Columbia-class submarines—have been plagued by delays and budget overruns.
The announcement also comes on the heels of the Navy canceling its Constellation-class frigate program due to similar challenges. Critics argue that pouring resources into an unproven battleship concept could strain budgets already stretched thin by ongoing modernization and maintenance needs.
Despite skepticism, Trump and his supporters frame the Golden Fleet as a symbolic and strategic renewal of American naval dominance. Whether it will become a reality or remain a politically charged vision remains to be seen.
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