US Navy Plans to Buy at Least 15 Next-Generation Battleships Over Next 30 Years

The US Navy released a new congressionally mandated long-range shipbuilding plan on Monday that calls for buying at least 15 new Trump-class battleships over the next 30 years. The service had previously said it would purchase three of the vessels, with the first arriving in 2036. The updated projection now envisions buying more than a dozen of the ships through 2055.

5 billion apiece. 5 billion for the first three Trump-class vessels. That figure would make each ship more expensive than the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. The first Trump battleship is currently expected to be delivered roughly eight years after it is contracted. The second and third Trump-class deliveries are envisioned in 2038 and 2039.

The fourth and fifth ships are expected in 2041 and 2043. The Navy plan contains no clear figures for the cost of a 15-ship fleet. The Navy’s 30-year plans are generally seen as aspirational documents.

All items beyond the Navy’s current five-year plan to 2031 are under review by the Administration, according to a footnote in the document. President Donald Trump previously said the Navy aims to build as many as 25 battleships. The Trump-class battleship program is closely tied to the current president.

Trump fired the previous Navy secretary, John Phelan, after the appointee clashed with top leaders at the Pentagon over administration efforts to revive US shipbuilding. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao replaced John Phelan. “The United States is at a strategic inflection point, and rebuilding American maritime dominance requires urgency, accountability, and sustained commitment,” Hung Cao said in a statement on Monday as the plan was released.

The Navy projects it will have 299 battle ships in its fleet by 2031. That total remains well short of the service’s own requirement of 355 ships. The Navy currently has 291 ships. 5 trillion 2027 budget is likely to meet significant pushback in Congress.

The long-term program is even more at risk if Republicans lose the House of Representatives in November midterm elections or if a Democrat is elected president in 2028. The lead vessel of a new class of warships has historically cost much more than planned. The Navy’s own requirement is 355 ships.

“This is a persistent problem and one that is not just industrial,” according to the Navy plan.