Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Navy’s ambitious “Golden Fleet” initiative, headlined by the controversial Trump-class battleship USS Defiant (BBG-1), is facing intense skepticism from defense policy institutes.
-Projected to cost up to $20 billion, this 40,000-ton “missile-barge” would pack 128 VLS cells, electromagnetic railguns, and hypersonic missiles.
Trump-Class Battleship Mockup Created with Nano Banana.
-However, critics warn that the ship’s massive price tag and concentrated risk profile clash with the Navy’s strategic shift toward distributed, networked operations.
-Amidst critical shipyard labor shortages and looming political hurdles on Capitol Hill, the future of this “bomb magnet” battlecruiser remains the ultimate gamble in the next “Kinetic Missile Fight.”
100 Times More Powerful: Can the USS Defiant Actually Save the U.S. Navy?
Policy institutes, otherwise known as “think tanks,” are often skeptical of new arms systems and strategic defense aims and objectives. This is especially true when President Donald Trump conjures up a new piece of military hardware. Some of these egg heads think they know better.
The new F-47 NGAD, for example, already has detractors saying it will be outdated before it is produced.
The Golden Dome missile defense shield is too expensive and ambitious, according to these critics. Trump would prefer battlefield mobile nuclear reactors that may not be worth the trouble. There are even plans for uncrewed, autonomous underwater drones that could be difficult to produce in numbers.
Trump-Class Battleship USS Defiant. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Golden Fleet Has Already Lost Its Luster
But it is the new “Golden Fleet” and the Trump-class battleship that is creating even more naysayers. Anything with Trump’s name on it gets incredible scrutiny from the Washington, DC defense intellectual chattering class.
The Golden Fleet envisions a new class of frigates based on an earlier Coast Guard cutter design. There would be a solid configuration of innovative hypersonic missiles on ships, such as the Conventional Prompt Strike rapid-velocity weapon. The Golden Fleet ships would also have a nuclear-tipped Surface Launched Cruise Missile.
Trump-class Battleship Has No Future
The biggest lightning rod has to be the new Trump-class battleship called the USS Defiant (BBG-1). This is supposed to be 100 times more powerful than the World War II-era battleships.
More Specs About the USS Defiant
The USS Defiant will displace 35,000 to 40,000 tons and will be an awe-inspiring 840-foot-long guided-missile warship. This impressive “missile-barge” will have an astounding 128 Mark 41 Vertical Launching System cells. Plans include a 32-megajoule electromagnetic railgun and enough room for 12 Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles.
Trump-Class Battleship. Image Credit: Creative Commons/White House.
There will also be two 5-inch guns on board with a close-in weapons system for anti-missile duties. The Defiant also aims to incorporate directed-energy systems to enhance air defense capabilities.
However, there is no specific timeline for this ambitious ship. It could take a decade to produce and would cost an enormous $13 to $20 billion—more than the USS Gerald R. Ford supercarrier.
Defense Think Tank Is Calling for an Early Death of the Trump-class
Mark Cancian of CSIS is a “Doubting Thomas.” The defense analyst thinks the USS Defiant and the entire Trump-class of battleships are doomed due to the high cost of the expensive, difficult shipbuilding techniques required. There is currently a manpower shortage at shipyards, and other surface fleet vessels and submarines are already delayed.
He believes the design is so ambitious that it will take too long to be realized. The Defiant will be the largest ship built by the Navy in 80 years, aside from aircraft carriers, Cancian reckons.
“The Navy has been moving toward a distributed operations model, in which fleet assets are spread out and connected by a network, maximizing fires by coordinating many different sensors and shooters. This [battleship] proposal would go in the other direction, building a small number of large, expensive, and potentially vulnerable assets,” Cancian wrote.
Iowa-Class Battleship at Rest. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
It’s More of an Unproven Battlecruiser
This ship may not even be a real battleship. It is more like a “bomb magnet” battlecruiser that never enjoyed a successful combat record in the US Navy. There are no 16-inch guns, and the Trump-class would likely not be used for close air support to prep landing zones for amphibious attacks, as the Iowa-class dreadnoughts did in World War II. Improved armor for the USS Defiant will not be as heavy as battleships from decades ago, either.
Not Enough Shipbuilders for the U.S. Navy
The Navy would like to build 20 to 25 Trump-class battleships, but this is extremely unlikely due to manpower needs.
“Over the next decade, ship builders and suppliers will need to hire roughly 250,000 skilled workers to meet demand,” Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan predicted. That is an optimistic number, given that it is difficult to hire more than 5,000 employees each year.
Iowa-Class Battleship Sailing with the Fleet. Image Credit: U.S. Navy.
Trump Will Pull Out All the Stops
However, I’m not one to dismiss the Trump-class out of hand. The president is nothing if not determined. He wants a $1.5 trillion defense budget during his reign. That would have more than enough to produce the USS Defiant and additional ships of the class.
Belief in the Kinetic Missile Fight for Battleships
The Navy could use a larger missile platform to keep the Chinese and Russians guessing.
The next war will be what I call a Kinetic Missile Fight, mainly waged by warships. The Trump-class will have this capability in spades. The Navy is good at conceiving new ship concepts, although its execution is often suspect. Cancian is correct to be skeptical of building the new battleships.
However, let us give this concept some room to grow. Trump has correctly recognized the need for new missile-delivery systems. Hypersonic weapons are all the rage, and the Conventional Prompt Strike models should answer the call.
A starboard bow view of the battleship USS MISSOURI (BB 63) in dry dock for reactivation/modernization work prior to recommissioning. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Potential Trouble on Capitol Hill for Trump-Class
Members of Congress will have to get on board, though, and no Democrat likes ships carrying the Trump name. The midterm elections of 2026 could change the leadership of the two armed services committees in the House and the Senate. This would make the Trump-class dead on arrival.
I’m Open to the Possibilities
Despite these political difficulties, Trump should be given credit for thinking big and predicting what the Navy needs to win battles with lethality and sheer might. The days of battleships may not be over. Think tankers should re-evaluate their negative views of the Trump-class and proceed with it to see whether the concept can be delivered on time and on budget. I’m open to seeing if this ship has a bright future. New weapons systems powered by a heady dose of imagination and a bright glimpse into the future missile fight are badly needed, and the USS Defiant may still fulfill its promise despite the expense and time needed to build it.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Author of now over 3,000 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
