Cost of Trump's "Golden Fleet" soars far beyond initial estimates

The cost of President Donald Trump's proposed "Golden Fleet" of next-generation battleships is expected to far exceed initial projections, with a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimating the program could cost hundreds of billions of dollars, The New York Times reports.

According to the report released on August 5, the first planned Trump-class battleship, the USS Defiant, is now projected to cost $23.4 billion—around $8 billion more than the Navy's original estimate. The remaining 14 ships are expected to cost just over $18 billion each, up from an earlier estimate of $10.2 billion, bringing the projected cost of a 15-vessel fleet to approximately $275 billion.

The CBO also estimated that construction of the lead ship could take eight years or longer, despite Trump's announcement in December that he expected two vessels to be completed within the next two and a half years.

Introducing the program, Trump said the new warships would become the backbone of a revitalized US Navy.

"They’ll help maintain American military supremacy, revive the American shipbuilding industry and inspire fear in America’s enemies all over the world," the president said.

Months after unveiling the initiative, Trump directed that the ships be powered by nuclear reactors rather than the gas turbine engines used in destroyers and cruisers, a decision that significantly increased projected costs.

"New ship types and new ship classes invariably cost more than is estimated at the start of construction," naval analyst and author Norman Polmar said.

Unlike the heavily armored battleships of the 20th century, Trump's proposed vessels would be considerably smaller and rely primarily on guided missiles. Some of the advanced weapons envisioned for the class, including an electromagnetic gun, have already been abandoned after decades of costly research, while others—such as a defensive laser system—have yet to become operational.

Trump has suggested expanding the program to 25 nuclear-powered battleships, which the CBO estimates would cost roughly $455 billion.

The proposal has drawn criticism from congressional Democrats. Senator Jeff Merkley, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee who requested the CBO study, questioned the project's affordability.

"At a time when families are struggling to afford groceries, gas, health care and child care, Congress cannot throw hundreds of billions of dollars at Trump’s 'Golden Fleet,' including plastering his name across a new battleship," Merkley said.

The fleet's future remains uncertain. The US Navy has faced repeated delays and cost overruns on recent shipbuilding programs, including the now-canceled Constellation-class frigate, the troubled Littoral Combat Ship, and the Ford-class aircraft carriers, which have experienced years of technical setbacks and delayed deliveries.

Trump has also pushed for a broader naval expansion, including $7 billion in contracts for 11 new Coast Guard icebreakers. Explaining his enthusiasm for battleships last year, he recalled watching the classic television series Victory at Sea.

"I think we should maybe start thinking about battleships," Trump said. "I used to watch 'Victory at Sea.' I love 'Victory at Sea.'"

Although battleships played a diminishing role during World War II as aircraft carriers emerged as the dominant naval platform, Trump is not the first US president to champion their return. President Ronald Reagan famously recommissioned the USS New Jersey in 1982 as part of his vision for a "600-ship Navy." The last US battleship, the USS Missouri, was decommissioned in 1992 after serving in the Persian Gulf War and now operates as a museum ship at Pearl Harbor.

By Vafa Guliyeva