Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security
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...
Hi, what are you looking for?
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...
Summary and Key Points: Trump’s new National Defense Strategy touts a “Golden Fleet” rebuild anchored by Trump-class battleships led by USS Defiant. -At 35,000–40,000...
Summary and Key Points: The proposed Trump-class battleship—designated BBG(X) and led by the USS Defiant—aims to become the Navy’s largest surface combatant since World...
Summary and Key Points: Dr. Andrew Latham challenges the view that canceling the Trump-class battleship program after a single hull would be a procurement...
Summary and Key Points: Wasn’t the battleship supposed to be obsolete? Debate over the proposed Trump-class battleships centers on whether they would be operationally...
Synopsis: The proposed Trump-class warship, informally dubbed USS Defiant, is framed as a 35,000-ton “battleship,” but the argument here is that it’s closer to...
Synopsis: The Alaska-class emerged from a pre–World War II scramble to counter rival “pocket battleships” and super-cruiser threats with a fast, hard-hitting “tweener.” -On...
Summary and Key Points: We compare the proposed Trump-class “USS Defiant” concept with the Iowa-class ships built for World War II. -The Trump-class is...
Summary and Key Points: Donald Trump’s proposed Golden Fleet centers on a new Trump-class guided-missile battleship envisioned as a massive magazine ship for hypersonic...
Summary and Key Points: At the Surface Navy Association symposium in January 2026, Daryl Caudle argued that future warships tied to Donald Trump’s “Golden...