President Trump Announces New Trump Class Battleship

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Maybe we're seeing part of the armament to be used at Armageddon

Official U.S. Navy press release
Seems President Trump's ego pride has no end.

President Trump Announces New Battleship​

22 December 2025

"WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan, alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, announced their intent to construct a new class of American-designed battleships that will be the most lethal surface combatant ever constructed. The future USS Defiant (BBG 1) will be the first Trump class battleship and will be an unambiguous statement of American commitment to maritime superiority with capability to distribute more firepower across the fleet than any other class of ship, for any Navy, in history.

“The President has been clear – we must bring back our American maritime industrial might, and he has told me many times that as Secretary of the Navy it is my job to equip our sailors to win the fight at sea with the finest ships in our history,” stated John C. Phelan, Secretary of the Navy. “Now when a conflict arises, you’re going to ask us two questions: where is the carrier, and where is the battleship.”
These new battleships will stand as the centerpiece of the Navy’s Golden Fleet initiative and will be the first of its kind providing dominant firepower and a decisive advantage over adversaries by integrating the most advanced deep-strike weapons of today with the revolutionary systems of the years ahead.
Engineered to outmatch any foreign adversary, the new battleship class will be the centerpiece of naval power. At triple the size of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, its massive frame provides superior firepower, larger missile magazines, and the capability to launch Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles and the Surface Launch Cruise Missile-Nuclear."

More

https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/4366856/president-trump-announces-new-battleship/

The Trump Class Battleship is part of the Golden Fleet Initiative
(more details about the USS Defiant)

Golden Fleet

www.goldenfleet.navy.mil

 

[mattfivefour]

Battleships became functionally obsolete in World War 2 due to the creation of aircraft carriers. And they were fully replaced following that war by guided missile cruisers.

That said, AI offers the following reasons why a modern battleship might be a good thing to build:

Potential Reasons for Building a Modern "Battleship"

• Naval Gunfire Support (NGFS): Modern warships primarily use expensive, precise missiles. A battleship's large-caliber guns can provide massive volumes of fire, delivering a heavier explosive punch at a much lower cost per shell than a missile, which is ideal for sustained, non-surgical shore bombardment during amphibious landings.
• Enhanced Survivability and Armor: Current warships are built for stealth and speed, not to take hits. A new, heavily armored ship would be designed to sustain significant battle damage and keep fighting, offering a "tough" asset that can operate in high-threat environments where less protected ships would be incapacitated. This concept is especially relevant in an era of advanced anti-ship missiles, where "soaking up hits" becomes a viable defensive strategy if 100% protection is impossible.
• Large, Stable Platform for Advanced Weaponry:A massive hull provides the space and power generation capacity required for next-generation weapons systems that smaller ships cannot accommodate.
  • Directed Energy Weapons (Lasers): The immense power requirements could be met by a large, potentially nuclear-powered, vessel.
  • Electromagnetic Railguns: These require substantial power and a large platform, a concept that was previously considered for the U.S. Navy's Zumwalt-class destroyers but never fully realized.
  • Hypersonic Missiles: A large vessel can carry a greater quantity of advanced long-range strike weapons, acting as an "arsenal ship" or a fleet missile boat.
• Deterrence and Presence: The sheer size and imposing visual presence of a battleship acts as a powerful psychological deterrent when "showing the flag" in foreign ports, a form of soft power that smaller, stealthier modern ships do not provide.
• Redundancy and Resilience: In a scenario where advanced electronics and missile systems are compromised (e.g., by cyber warfare or an electromagnetic pulse), a ship that can rely on less sophisticated, "dumb" munitions and robust construction might be the only asset still operational.

Current Status
Currently, no new battleships have been built since World War II. While the concept is debated in military and defense circles, proposals like the "Trump-class" in the U.S. aim to meet modern challenges by integrating cutting-edge technology into a large, highly survivable hull, rather than simply recreating historical designs.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

The Navy press release is dated yesterday. I posted it 2 hours after it was released

 

[Tall Timbers]

The Navy press release is dated yesterday. I posted it 2 hours after it was released

Hopefully you'll be quicker in delivering the latest relevant news in the future... Were you napping?

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Hopefully you'll be quicker in delivering the latest relevant news in the future... Were you napping?

Just wanted to beat @Andy C to it