Trump Unveils Proposal for Next-Generation US Navy Warship

Key Takeaways:

• President Donald Trump has announced a plan to build a new warship, which he calls a "battleship," as part of a larger vision to create a "Golden Fleet."
• The ship, the USS Defiant, will be longer and larger than World War II-era Iowa-class battleships and will be armed with hypersonic missiles, nuclear cruise missiles, rail guns, and high-powered lasers.
• The Navy has struggled to field some of the technologies that Trump says will be aboard the new ship, including rail guns and laser technology.
• The development of nuclear cruise missile capabilities may violate non-proliferation treaties that the U.S. has signed with Russia.
• The new warship is expected to be roughly the same size as Iowa-class battleships but will weigh about half as much and have far smaller crews.

Introduction to the New Warship Plan
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has recently announced a bold plan for the Navy to build a new, large warship that he is calling a "battleship" as part of a larger vision to create a "Golden Fleet." This new warship, the first of which will be named the USS Defiant, is expected to be longer and larger than the World War II-era Iowa-class battleships and will be armed with advanced technologies such as hypersonic missiles, nuclear cruise missiles, rail guns, and high-powered lasers. According to Trump, the USS Defiant will be "the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built." This announcement comes at a time when the Navy has been struggling to build new ships on time and on budget, with several projects experiencing delays and cost overruns.

Challenges in Developing New Technologies
The Navy has faced significant challenges in developing and fielding some of the technologies that Trump says will be aboard the new ship. For example, the Navy spent hundreds of millions of dollars and over 15 years trying to develop a railgun that could be deployed on a ship, but ultimately abandoned the effort in 2021. Laser technology has seen more success in recent years, with one system designed to blind or disable drone sensors now deployed on eight destroyers. However, the development of nuclear cruise missile capabilities or the deployment of such missiles on ships may violate non-proliferation treaties that the U.S. has signed with Russia. These challenges highlight the complexity and difficulty of developing and deploying advanced military technologies.

Historical Context of Battleships
The term "battleship" historically refers to a specific type of ship – a large, heavily armored vessel armed with massive guns designed to bombard other ships or targets ashore. Battleships were at the height of their prominence during World War II, with the largest U.S. battleships, the Iowa-class, weighing around 60,000 tons. However, after World War II, the role of battleships in modern fleets diminished rapidly in favor of aircraft carriers and long-range missiles. The U.S. Navy did modernize four Iowa-class battleships in the 1980s by adding cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, along with modern radars, but by the 1990s, all four were decommissioned. The new "guided missile battleship" announced by Trump is expected to be roughly the same size as Iowa-class battleships but will weigh about half as much, around 35,000 tons, and will have far smaller crews.

Design and Development of the New Warship
According to a newly created website for the "Golden Fleet," the new warship will have a primary focus on missiles, not large naval guns. The ship’s design is expected to be led by the U.S. Navy, with Trump claiming that he will have a direct role in designing the ship. Trump has a history of expressing strong opinions on specific aspects of the Navy’s fleet, sometimes with a view toward keeping older technology instead of modernizing. For example, he has complained about the look of the Navy’s destroyers and decried Navy ships being covered in rust. The Navy Secretary, John Phelan, has stated that Trump has texted him numerous times about "rusty ships or ships in a yard, asking me what am I doing about it."

Conclusion and Future Plans
The announcement of the new warship plan has generated significant attention and debate, with some questioning the feasibility and practicality of the project. The development of the USS Defiant is expected to begin in the early 2030s, with design efforts already underway. The new warship is expected to "inspire awe and reverence for the American flag whenever it pulls into a foreign port," according to Phelan. However, the challenges and complexities of developing and deploying advanced military technologies, combined with the historical context of battleships and the Navy’s current struggles with shipbuilding, raise important questions about the future of the U.S. Navy and its role in global security. As the project moves forward, it will be important to carefully consider these factors and ensure that the new warship is designed and developed with a clear understanding of its capabilities and limitations.