‘Project manager’ Donald Trump is determined to revamp shipyards and resurrect the battleship.
The US Navy is considering a complete overhaul of its fleets. Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump has a vision for a fleet of warships larger than the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile Aegis cruisers but smaller than World War II-vintage Iowa-class battleships. He wants a new 15,000–20,000-ton warship with heavy composite armor and equipped with a greater number and variety of hypersonic missiles. It would dwarf the Aegis cruiser, weighing in at around 9,600 tons. A fleet of such ships, 10 to 20 by the 2030s, would complement the US Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) power projection maritime strategy.
The US Navy Must Solve the China Problem
Consistent with Trump’s style, like the “Golden Dome of America” anti-ballistic missile shield, the compilation of warships is dubbed the “Golden Fleet.” When the Pentagon comes up with something new, the question that should be asked is: “What problem are you trying to solve?” The Wall Street Journal posited an answer: “Senior White House and Navy officials are in early discussions to replace the current mix of warships with a new ‘Golden Fleet’ that would be better suited to counter China and other potential future threats, according to former and current officials.” The concept for establishing a maritime bulwark against China centers on the sheer mass of hypersonic missiles targeting the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and its command-and-control facilities.
The US Navy formalized the DMO strategy in the mid-2010s and has refined the concept annually. Fundamental is the idea that, according to the Congressional Research Service, “The approach demands distributing, integrating, and maneuvering people, platforms, munitions, and data across time, spectrum, and space.” A warship of that size could be the centerpiece of a Surface Action Group (SAG) with significantly more capability than available today.
Each Golden Fleet ship will be able to carry as many as 300 hypersonic missiles, compared to the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and the Aegis cruiser, which carry only 96 and 122 missiles, respectively. With 30 Golden Fleet ships, that means the PLAN could be facing a barrage of 9,000 hypersonic missiles from just the Golden Fleet super cruisers. That’s a formidable capability, boosting the hypersonic missile capability of US destroyers, Aegis cruisers, and Constellation-class frigates.
If the timeframe for fielding the Golden Fleet is the 2030s, there is a challenge: The track record of building US Navy vessels is dismal. There will have to be significant changes in US shipyards to meet the deadline.
Identifying shipbuilding capacity is something else again. “Ambition aside, the Golden Fleet faces enormous logistical and financial hurdles. America’s shipyards are already stretched thin. Bath Iron Works in Maine and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi are both operating at capacity, fulfilling commitments to the Columbia-class submarines and Ford-class carriers,” MoneyControl.com reported. Despite these dire observations, keep in mind this is President Donald Trump’s vision for the US Navy. The commander-in-chief’s April 2025 executive order “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance” provides billions for shipyards and workforce training.
Bringing US Shipbuilding up to Speed
Those with in-depth knowledge of the costs involved in boosting US shipbuilding to international levels estimate it will take $20-$30 billion annually to do so. Other considerations for making Trump’s vision come true include upgrading shipyards with robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as adopting modular construction. Additionally, trade discussions with South Korea have offered $150 billion in joint ship construction at US shipyards, such as the Philadelphia Shipyard. Using South Korea’s more efficient shipbuilding methods could accelerate timelines as much as two to three years. Such an arrangement would require waivers to US laws that restrict foreign production and content on military vessels.
Meeting the timeline will be difficult, and some skeptics claim it is impossible. In terms of US Naval force projection to counter the PLAN, the Golden Fleet’s maritime strategy is a game-changer. And remember it’s Donald Trump —the builder president — who is the program manager for Golden Fleet. No one should bet against him.
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