Usni

Trump Unveils New Battleship Class Proposed Uss Defiant Will Be Largest U Surface Combatant Since Wwii

United States Navy

Golden Fleet

Metaculus

Joe Courtney

Ranking Member Courtney Statement After President Trump Announces New Trump-Class Battleship

Naval Sea Systems Command

Ddg X

WhiteHouse

Defense News

Navy to begin constructing 2 Trump class battleships

Breaking Defense

What it would take to build Trumps Golden Fleet battleships

Real Clear Defense

Trumps_Golden_Fleet_Needs_An_Industrial_Strategy_To_Match_1154065.Html

shanaka86

SECNAV

Militarnyi

New Frigates of Trumps Golden Fleet to Be Based on Patrol Ship

navalnews.com

Trump Announces Nuclear Armed Battleships For The U Navy

New Trump class fleet of battleships unveiled, to form part of US Navys new Golden Fleet

FOX News

Trump unveils Golden Fleet of Navy battleships, touts them as more powerful than any' ever built

The Chosun Daily

Trump Unveils Golden Fleet With Hanwha Collaboration

Axios

Trump Navy Golden Fleet Battleships

US President unveils new 'Trump class' fleet of battleships

Defence Industry Europe

Trump approves U.S. Navy Golden Fleet plan including new frigate and unmanned vessels programme

Le Monde.fr

Trump unveils plans for new warships named after himself

South China Morning Post

Trump unveils Trump-class battleship in US shipbuilding push

President Trump Announces New Battleship

Trump announces new Trump-class battleship as part of Golden Fleet

RapidResponse47

Lloyd Austin

Mark Milley

Mike Minihan

Jacob Thornburg

Michael Brenner

Finian Cunningham

Scott Ritter

Ray Dalio

Kevin Rudd

Zhao Tong

Stanislaw Koziej

Robert S. Ross

Charles C. Krulak

Michael C. Horowitz

Joseph S. Nye

Qin Gang

Frank Kendall III

Thomas L. Friedman

Marco J. Lyons

Global Times

"I argue that war is unlikely to occur due to the deep economic ties underlying the great power politics between the two countries."

"War with either [Russia or China] is neither inevitable nor imminent."

"As things currently stand, the US is not prepared to fight and win a war with China over Taiwan."

"A war between the US and China today is no more inevitable than was war between the rising US and the declining United Kingdom a century ago."

"[T]he tension between the United States and China will grow, and competition will intensify; it is inevitable. War, however, is not."

"War is a risk, but it is not inevitable."

"The risk of a military conflict is very serious."

"The smallest misstep by either side [Taipei and Beijing] could ignite a U.S.-China war."

"China is preparing for a war and specifically for a war with the United States."

"The most proximate potential timeframe for war is in the next two years."

"My gut tells me we [the US] will fight [with China] in 2025."

Will There Be a US-China War?

Andrew Ng

Eric Schmidt

Chuck Schumer

Brad Smith

Nestor Maslej

Ruth Porat

Ylli Bajraktari

Bruegel

National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence

Brandon J. Weichert

Clement Delangue

Zhou Hongyi

Joseph Tsai

Huey-Meei Chang

Craig S. Smith

Jeffrey Ding

Ray Perrault

Susana Martinez

Niall Ferguson

Larry Elliot

Marcel Munch

Pavel Durov

John Rush

"I think, today, [China is] probably two years behind the top [AI] models [from the US]."

"Where China sits [in AI], I think, is very far behind the US."

"The United States is in a strong position to win the essential [AI] race with China."

"China will dominate AI."

"The combination with China's self-made chips + AI infrastructure stack will put China ahead of the US."

China would "undoubtedly come out on top [in the US-China AI race]."

"[I]t seems like the United States is really far ahead [when it comes to generative AI]."

"China will lead the world in AI development."

In 2025, "China will start to lead the AI race (as a consequence of leading the open-source AI race)."

Will China Surpass the US in AI?

President Donald Trump announced on December 22, 2025, that the U.S. Navy will construct a new class of battleships, with the lead ship designated USS Defiant (BBG-1). The vessels are projected to displace between 30,000 and 40,000 tons, making them the largest U.S. surface combatants since World War II.

President Donald Trump announced on December 22, 2025, that the U.S. Navy will construct a new class of battleships, with the lead ship designated USS Defiant (BBG-1). The vessels are projected to displace between 30,000 and 40,000 tons, making them the largest U.S. surface combatants since World War II.

The new battleship class will be armed with 128 MK-41 vertical launch system cells, 12 Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles, five-inch guns, AN/SPY-6 air search radar and nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles. The design also includes provisions for directed energy weapons and potentially a 32 Megajoule rail gun.

The new battleship class will be armed with 128 MK-41 vertical launch system cells, 12 Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles, five-inch guns, AN/SPY-6 air search radar and nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles. The design also includes provisions for directed energy weapons and potentially a 32 Megajoule rail gun.

Trump stated construction would begin with two ships, eventually expanding to 10 and potentially reaching 20 to 25 vessels total, with construction planned to start in 2030. The president said he would personally participate in the design process alongside the Navy.

Trump stated construction would begin with two ships, eventually expanding to 10 and potentially reaching 20 to 25 vessels total, with construction planned to start in 2030. The president said he would personally participate in the design process alongside the Navy.

The battleships will replace the Navy's DDG(X) program, which was projected to be approximately half the size of the proposed vessels. Construction costs are estimated to range from $10 to $15 billion per ship based on size and included systems.

The battleships will replace the Navy's DDG(X) program, which was projected to be approximately half the size of the proposed vessels. Construction costs are estimated to range from $10 to $15 billion per ship based on size and included systems.

The announcement is part of the administration's "Golden Fleet" initiative, which also includes a new FF(X) frigate class based on the Coast Guard's Legend-class National Security Cutter design. The Navy expects the first FF(X) frigate to be in the water by 2028.

The announcement is part of the administration's "Golden Fleet" initiative, which also includes a new FF(X) frigate class based on the Coast Guard's Legend-class National Security Cutter design. The Navy expects the first FF(X) frigate to be in the water by 2028.

When asked if the new ships were meant to counter China, Trump stated the vessels are "a counter to everybody, it's not China," adding that he has a good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The ships will be capable of operating independently or as part of carrier strike groups.

When asked if the new ships were meant to counter China, Trump stated the vessels are "a counter to everybody, it's not China," adding that he has a good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The ships will be capable of operating independently or as part of carrier strike groups.

Trump Announces New Battleship Class, Largest Since WWII

GoldenTrump FleetAnnounces New Battleship Class, Largest Since WWII

The Controversies

Thornburg

Milley

Ritter

Krulak

Rudd

Nye

Tong

Friedman

III

Horowitz

Minihan

Tsai

Ding

Smith

Rush

Munch

Hongyi

Maslej

Martinez

Delangue

Go Deeper

Articles on this story

Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters
Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters