This past week, in what could be described as a “Christmas present” press conference from Mar-a-Lago, President Donald J. Trump announced the building of a new class of “battleships”—the Trump-class. Flanked by the secretaries of war, state, and the navy, President Trump declared that the first ship of this class will be appropriately named the United States Ship (USS) Defiant. Initially, two Trump-class battleships are scheduled to be in the water within two and a half years—a very aggressive schedule—to be followed up quickly by eight more, with plans for an eventual total of up to 25 ships.
As the president noted, these new 30,000-to-40,000-ton-plus combatants, armed with nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCM-N), hypersonic missiles, lasers, and rail gun weapons, will be the flagships of the American Naval Fleet and will “inspire fear in America’s enemies all over the world.” Just as importantly, their construction will help “revive the American shipbuilding industry” and create thousands upon thousands of jobs for Americans.
These new battleships are just one of many key components of the president’s “Golden Fleet”—his strategic plan to rebuild the maritime power of the United States of America. Other elements of the Golden Fleet referenced at the Christmas-week press conference included upgrading the Ford-class aircraft carrier, a new frigate class based on the U.S. Coast Guard’s proven National Security Cutter, and a new type of medium-sized amphibious assault ship. Undergirding all these surface ship enhancements is the U.S. Navy’s continued commitment to maintaining America’s lead in the undersea domain with a submarine force that is second to none.
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