President Donald Trump unveiled plans on Monday for a new naval force dubbed the "Golden Fleet," announcing that construction of two massive "Trump-class" battleships would commence immediately.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the President was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan for the announcement.
Concept illustrations shown behind Mr Trump featured vessels bearing the name USS Defiant.
The President said: "As you know, we're desperately in need of ships. Our ships are some of them have gotten old and tired and obsolete."
Concept illustrations shown behind Mr Trump featured vessels bearing the name USS Defiant
|REUTERS
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He indicated the Navy would begin procurement of the initial two vessels straight away, with plans to expand the fleet to between 20 and 25 ships in total.
Mr Trump declared the new warships would be "100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," noting that America had not constructed such vessels since 1994.
He said: "Each one of these will be the largest battleship in the history of our country, the largest in the history of the world."
The vessels are expected to weigh between 30,000 and 40,000 tonnes, significantly heavier than current Navy destroyers.
Mr Trump declared the new warships would be '100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built'
|REUTERS
According to Mr Trump, the battleships will carry hypersonic missiles, electric rail guns, high-powered laser systems and nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missiles presently in development.
Artificial intelligence would play a "big factor" in the ships' capabilities, he added.
The President described the platforms as combining traditional naval guns with missiles, arguing that gun-based firepower could achieve combat effects far more cheaply than missile systems alone.
Mr Trump connected the battleship announcement to a wider effort to speed up American defence manufacturing.
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The President said the battleships will carry hypersonic missiles, electric rail guns and high-powered laser systems
|REUTERS
He revealed plans to meet with major defence contractors next week, demanding quicker delivery schedules, greater investment in new production facilities, and restrictions on share buybacks and executive pay.
"We make the best equipment in the world, but they don't make it fast enough," Trump said, urging companies to channel profits into expanding capacity rather than dividends.
The President referenced Second World War-era shipbuilding as an example, noting the US once produced multiple vessels daily compared with current slower rates.
In April, Mr Trump signed an executive order designating the decline of America's shipbuilding industry and maritime workforce as a national security threat, ordering a comprehensive government review to boost domestic production and counter China's dominance in global ship manufacturing.
China now operates the world's largest navy by vessel count with more than 370 ships in service
|GETTY
US officials have warned that the shipbuilding shortfall coincides with a vast industrial disparity with Beijing.
The Office of Naval Intelligence has assessed that China possesses roughly 230 times the shipbuilding capacity of the US, enabling Beijing to expand its fleet far more rapidly than American yards can deliver new hulls.
China now operates the world's largest navy by vessel count, with more than 370 ships in service compared with approximately 294 American warships.
Navy Secretary Phelan has urged the service to "act like we're at war" regarding shipbuilding and weapons production speeds, establishing a new Rapid Capabilities Office to accelerate development timelines.
Several flagship Navy programmes have encountered delays and cost overruns, including the Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine, Virginia-class attack submarine and the Constellation-class frigate.
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