Is the US Navy’s Golden Fleet initiative achievable?
Artistic concept of the Trump class USS Defiant. (Image: US Navy)
The effort to provide the US Navy with Trump-class battleships might face financial, production and doctrinal obstacles.
The Pentagon recently announced its “Golden Fleet” effort, aimed at revitalising the US maritime industrial base and providing the US Navy (USN) with more capable vessels. The programme involves the introduction of the Trump class of US-designed battleships.
With ambitious goals, the initiative is likely to face multiple challenges to progress, including accessing appropriate funding over the coming years, overcoming long-lasting production issues in the US shipbuilding industry and building the USN deployment doctrine around the future platforms.
According to the service, the new Trump vessels will provide “dominant firepower and a decisive advantage over adversaries by integrating the most advanced
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