(The Center Square) – The United States will build two new warships as part of the Navy’s “Golden Fleet,” President Donald Trump announced Monday.
Trump joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Peter Hegers and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan to announce the creation of the “Golden Fleet” of Navy ships. Trump said the United States will begin building two ships, with the ultimate goal of having a total of 20 to 25 “Golden Fleet” ships.
“These ships will be the first of a new class of battleships in the coming years,” Trump said. “America’s battleships have always been a clear symbol of American power.”
The U.S. Navy has been steadily improving its shipbuilding capabilities with the goal of increasing its overall fleet. In its analysis of the Navy’s 2025 spending plans, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that total shipbuilding costs will average $40 billion over the next 30 years.
According to the Navy’s 2025 procurement plan, the number of naval combat ships will increase from the current 295 to 390 in 2054. Overall, the Navy will purchase more current-generation ships and smaller craft.
U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan said the new battleship will have the ability to carry nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles. He emphasized that the navy’s capabilities will be enhanced due to the following reasons:
“This is just one piece of the presidential gold fleet we’re going to build,” Phelan said.
Trump said the new battleship will use hypersonic weapons and high-power lasers to unleash the ship’s capabilities.
The U.S. Navy announced on Friday that it will commission a new frigate to be built in the United States. The purpose of frigates is to escort large naval vessels, general patrols and anti-submarine warfare.
Heggs stressed that the construction of the ship was an example of the government’s efforts to stop drug trafficking. He highlighted recent alleged drug smuggling attacks in the Caribbean.
“Every time we strike, we are saving American lives,” Hegseth said. “No other president is willing to engage in real deterrence.”
Trump criticized the overall slowdown in the Navy’s shipbuilding industry. The U.S. Navy’s newest battleship first entered service in 1944 and was recommissioned in 1986 during the Gulf War.
Trump said: “We will restore the United States as a major shipbuilding power. We will ensure that the United States has the most powerful fleet in the world, led by battleships for a long time.”
