Trump Battleships – US President to be involved in design of new Navy warships; AI to be a ‘big factor'
US President Donald Trump described the new ships as ‘100 times more powerful’ than existing warships, framing them as a revival of the battleship concept adapted for 21st-century warfare.
President Donald Trump on Monday, 22 December, announced plans for a new class of US Navy warships bearing his name, signalling an unusually direct presidential role in naval design and strategy. Speaking to the press, at Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said the proposed “Trump-class” battleships would be larger, faster and technologically superior to existing vessels, with artificial intelligence (AI) playing a central role in their development as part of a sweeping vision he has dubbed the “Golden Fleet”.
The US president said that the US Navy would begin by building two ships, with the longer-term objective of acquiring between 20 and 25 vessels.
What are Trump Battleships?
Donald Trump described the new Naval “Golden Fleet” as “100 times more powerful” than existing warships, framing them as a revival of the battleship concept adapted for 21st-century warfare.
While battleships were once the centrepiece of naval power, their relevance declined sharply after the Second World War as aircraft carriers and long-range missiles came to dominate maritime strategy.
According to a newly created website for the Golden Fleet, the planned “guided missile battleship” would be roughly comparable in size to the historic Iowa-class battleship, but significantly lighter—around 35,000 tonnes compared with roughly 60,000 tonnes. Crews would also be far smaller, numbering between 650 and 850 sailors.
Missiles, rather than large-calibre naval guns, would form the core of the ship’s armament.
Why does Trump want to revive the battleship?
Trump argued that the Trump-class battleships would help reassert US naval dominance, claiming the overall programme would result in “more tonnage and firepower under construction than at any time in history”.
Navy Secretary John Phelan echoed that ambition, describing the vessels as “just one piece of the president’s golden fleet that we’re going to build.” He added that components for the ships would be manufactured across all 50 states.
The first vessel in the class is expected to be christened the USS Defiant.
How central will artificial intelligence be?
Trump placed particular emphasis on emerging technologies, saying AI would be integral to the new ships. AI, he said, would be a “big factor” in their design and operation, although specific applications were not detailed, according to a New York Times report.
The US Navy’s recent experience with advanced technologies has been mixed. A long-running effort to deploy a railgun aboard ships was abandoned in 2021 after more than 15 years and hundreds of millions of dollars in spending.
Laser systems have made limited progress, with one platform designed to blind or disable drone sensors now installed on eight destroyers following eight years of development.
Can the US Navy ships be built quickly?
Trump made clear that speed would be a priority. He said he would meet defence contractors in Florida next week to push for faster production timelines.
“They don’t produce them fast enough,” Trump said, adding that he was prepared to penalise companies that “aren’t doing a good job.”
During the announcement on “Trump Class" battleships, he also said the administration planned on “fixing up” the Navy’s headquarters.
The remarks come at a time when the US Navy has faced persistent delays and cost overruns. Only last month, it scrapped plans for a new small warship, opting instead for a modified Coast Guard cutter. Other programmes, including the Ford-class aircraft carrier and Columbia-class submarines, have also struggled to stay on schedule and within budget.
What about US nuclear weapons and treaties?
Trump said the battleships would carry the “biggest guns” ever deployed on a US warship and would also be equipped with nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missiles.
Such capabilities on the Trump-class battleships could raise complex legal and diplomatic questions, as deploying nuclear cruise missiles on surface ships may conflict with existing non-proliferation agreements between the United States and Russia.
When would construction of Trump Battleships begin?
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing plans, told The Associated Press that design work for the Trump-class battleships is already underway, with construction expected to begin in the early 2030s.