U.S. Navy to Use Nuclear Propulsion in New Battleships

The decision represents a sharp reversal from the Navy's position four weeks earlier. In the proposed fiscal 2027 budget released last month, the service described the vessels as conventionally powered ships using diesel generators, gas turbines and propulsion motors.

Then-Secretary of the Navy John Phelan told reporters on April 21 that nuclear propulsion was possible but unlikely as officials weighed trade-offs between persistence and speed of delivery. Phelan was fired the following day. President Trump told reporters on April 23 that the dismissal stemmed from conflicts over shipbuilding plans, describing Phelan as a hard charger who clashed with others on building and buying new ships.

The New York Times reported, citing anonymous sources, that the exit was linked to disagreements with the president over accelerating production of the Trump class battleships. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle had expressed similar reservations in January, noting that nuclear power would add a construction tail that pushed the timeline beyond operational needs.

The Navy did not immediately explain what changed in the intervening weeks.

Nuclear-powered surface ship construction in the United States is currently limited to Newport News Shipbuilding, which builds Ford class carriers and has experienced delays and cost growth. The same shipyards building nuclear submarines are already under strain from the Columbia class ballistic missile submarine program and commitments under the AUKUS agreement to supply Virginia class boats to Australia.

The shipbuilding plan emphasizes lessons from prior programs and a shift toward modern digital engineering, advanced production practices and artificial intelligence-enabled design tools. It calls for front-loading production engineering, precision modular construction and deeper integration across the industrial base to minimize rework and control costs.

The first ship, to be named USS Defiant, is scheduled for ordering in fiscal 2028 and delivery in fiscal 2036. The program will extend well into the next presidential administration, leaving room for potential changes in scale, scope or cancellation.

Only one nuclear-powered surface combatant, Russia's Admiral Nakhimov, currently operates anywhere in the world.

“Our Fleet deserves and our national security requires the most comprehensive capability a surface combatant can provide, not just what we can make do with tradeoffs.”

“The nuclear-powered Battleship is designed to provide the Fleet with a significant increase in combat power by longer endurance, higher speed, and accommodating advanced weapon systems required for modern warfare.”