Trump administration proposes costly new battleship fleet amid debt and naval doubts

President Donald Trump, together with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John C. Phelan, revealed an intention to construct a new class of nuclear-powered battleships, beginning with the USS Defiant, that would displace more than 35,000 tons and carry cruise missiles, 5-inch guns, railguns and possibly directed-energy weapons. The Congressional Budget Office released a cost projection of roughly $275 billion for the 2027-2056 program, with the first ship priced at about $23 billion and an average of just over $18 billion per vessel across fifteen ships, pushing annual surface-combatant spending up by two-thirds.

Experts such as Harry J. Kazianis note that modern threats—satellites, long-range missiles, drones and unmanned boats—make large hulls especially vulnerable, as demonstrated by Ukraine’s success against Russia’s Black Sea fleet using low-cost weapons. The plan also includes replacing modern electromagnetic launch systems on carriers with older steam catapults, a change that would cost billions and require extensive redesign.

With the federal debt surpassing $40 trillion, policymakers are weighing whether such expensive platforms are justified amid a shifting U.S. strategy that appears to retreat from its historic role as a global maritime police. The debate highlights tensions between maintaining deterrence against powers like China and adapting to a fiscal environment that favors cheaper, more distributed naval capabilities.