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President Trump announced on Monday the development of a new “Trump class” battleship, signaling a significant boost to the Navy’s fleet and sparking increased oversight of defense contractors for delays and budget overruns. This initiative exemplifies the president’s tendency to reshape government projects in his image, with Trump personally involved in the ship’s design process.
He stated the vessels will exceed 30,000 tons, surpassing current destroyers, and will feature cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence and directed-energy laser weapons. “We haven’t built a battleship since 1994. These state-of-the-art ships will be some of the most formidable surface combatants… apart from our submarines,” he declared.
Some U.S. officials have expressed concern that neglecting to produce new battleships recently has given China an edge militarily and economically. Trump dismissed these worries, framing the expansion as a response to global competition.
The naval growth plan will also involve heightened pressure on defense firms to accelerate production and control costs. Trump indicated he will meet with leading defense companies next week to address project delays and budget issues, scrutinizing whether executive salaries, stock buybacks, and dividends are contributing to missed targets.
“We don’t want executives earning $50 million annually, handing out big dividends, and doing buybacks while the production of jets like the F-35 stalls,” he emphasized.
Last week, Reuters reported the administration’s intention to issue an executive order limiting dividends, buybacks, and executive compensation for defense contractors with costly, delayed projects. Trump and Pentagon officials have criticized the defense industry for its slow, costly, and entrenched processes and promised to implement major reforms to make the production of military equipment more efficient.
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