Donald Trump announced plans for a Trump-named class of heavily armed warships, signaling a renewed drive to modernise and expand the US Navy amid rising global competition.
US President Donald
Trump on Monday revealed plans for a new class of warships that will carry his name, a distinction typically granted to leaders only after they have left office. The announcement signals a renewed push to expand and modernise the US Navy amid concerns over global naval competition.
Trump said two Trump-class vessels would be built initially, though the programme could expand significantly. He described the ships as “some of the most lethal surface warfare ships” and “the largest battleship in the history of our country”.
Size, weapons and strategic message
The president made the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, joined by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Navy Secretary John Phelan. Images of the proposed high-tech ships were displayed during the event.
When asked whether the new warships were intended to counter Beijing, Trump dismissed the suggestion.
“It’s a counter to everybody, it’s not China. We get along great with China,” he said.
According to Trump, the ships will weigh between 30,000 and 40,000 tons and will be equipped with missiles and guns, as well as advanced weaponry still under development, including lasers and hypersonic missiles. He added that the vessels would also be capable of carrying atomic weapons in the form of a nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile.
The Trump-class ships are expected to be significantly larger than existing US destroyers and cruisers. However, the projected displacement would still be smaller than that of the Iowa-class battleships, which were retired in the 1990s.
Wider naval expansion plans
Trump said he would take part in the design process alongside the Navy, noting past complaints about the appearance of US ships.
“Because I’m a very aesthetic person,” he said.
The announcement comes days after the Navy outlined plans for another new class of ships, the FF(X) frigates, which it said would “complement the fleet’s larger, multi-mission warships”. Phelan said the FF(X) would be based on an existing design from shipbuilder HII already in use by the United States Coast Guard, with the first vessel expected to enter service by 2028.
The frigate plans followed Phelan’s statement in late November that four of six planned Constellation-class frigates would be cancelled, while two already under construction remain “under review”.
The renewed focus on shipbuilding comes as Washington lags behind Beijing in overall fleet size. A report to Congress earlier this year said US military officials and other observers are increasingly concerned about the pace of China’s shipbuilding.
“We’re going to restore America as a major shipbuilding power,” Trump said. “We’re going to ensure the USA has the most powerful fleet anywhere in the world, and long into the future, with battleships helping lead the way.”
End of Article
