Trump’s $23 Billion Battleship Plan Threatens Navy Programs as Yard Backlogs Deepen
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Aug 14
Trump’s $23 Billion Battleship Plan Threatens Navy Programs as Yard Backlogs Deepen
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Aug 14
Summary
$23 billion is the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate for the first ship in Trump’s proposed “Golden Fleet,” about $1 billion more than the next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The cost warning lands as Trump pushes for oversized, nuclear-powered battleships that Navy officials have long resisted and are expected to challenge again during the review period.
Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia is the only cited yard approved for nuclear final assembly, but it is already behind on aircraft carriers and submarines, raising the risk of further delays.
Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding are not slated to assemble the ships and lack nuclear certification, leaving the program with few viable construction options and potential knock-on delays across the fleet.