US Navy budget seeks 34 ships on yesterday’s industrial base
The USS Massachusetts (SSN 798), commissioned in Boston on 28 March 2026, is the most recent Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine and the fifth US Navy vessel to carry this name. (Photo: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
The 2027 budget demands 34 new vessels, but ageing yards and backlogs raise questions about whether American shipbuilding can deliver.
The US Navy (USN) is preparing for its most ambitious shipbuilding push in a generation. President Trump’s 2027 budget request earmarks US$65.8 billion for the procurement of 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force vessels, establishing what the administration has branded the “Golden Fleet”.
The request includes initial funding for the Trump-class battleship and next-generation frigates, alongside sustained or increased procurement of existing platforms.
Central to the plan is the continued expansion of the undersea fleet. The budget would maintain or increase procurement of the 12 planned Columbia-class submarines, at an average cost of $9.4 billion each,
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