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Cost Estimates Emerge
The Trump administration’s “Golden Fleet” plan has produced new budget documents and a clearer price tag for the first “Trump-class” battleship, with Axios reporting that the first vessel will cost “north of $17 billion” and that “three of them totaling more than $43 billion.”
“The Trump-class battleship (BBG(X)) is no longer just rhetoric; it is now a formally budgeted program”
John Phelan, who “up until last week was the U.S. Navy secretary,” told reporters on the sidelines of the Sea-Air-Space conference in Maryland that the dollar figure is an “early, initial estimate.”
Phelan said, “We’ll see where we really settle down, as we get through that and start to rationalize some of the costs,” and he added that the final cost would depend on design work and contractor capacity, saying, “We’ve been talking to two different vendors … and then it’ll be a function of how we get through that design process with them and then their capacity in their yards.”
The same cost framing appeared in multiple outlets, including Türkiye Today, which said the first Trump-class battleship is projected to cost “more than $17 billion” and that the total cost of three vessels is expected to “exceed $43 billion.”
Anadolu Ajansı similarly reported that the first Trump-class battleship is projected to exceed “a cost of $17 billion,” with the total cost of three vessels “surpassing $43 billion,” citing Axios.
Construction is expected in 2028, with Axios stating, “Construction is expected in 2028,” and the Türkiye Today report repeating that “Construction of the first Trump-class battleship is expected to begin in 2028.”
Design Choices and Nuclear Debate
Alongside the cost figures, the reporting also emphasized that the Trump-class program is still in an early planning stage, including unresolved questions about propulsion and nuclear capability.
Axios said, “The Navy is still debating whether to make the battleship nuclear powered,” and it described preliminary specifications that show the battleship “armed to the teeth — laser turrets, a railgun, as well as room for hypersonic and nuclear weapons — and manned by at least 650 sailors.”
Türkiye Today likewise said “The U.S. Navy has not yet decided whether the Trump-class battleship will be nuclear-powered,” while also stating that “Early specifications indicate a heavily armed platform equipped with laser turrets and a railgun.”
Anadolu Ajansı reported that “The Navy has yet to decide whether the battleship will be nuclear powered,” and it added that early specifications released indicate a “heavily armed platform equipped with laser turrets, a railgun, and capacity for both hypersonic and nuclear weapons, with a crew of at least 650 sailors.”
The same crew figure—“at least 650 sailors”—appeared in the Axios description of preliminary specs, and it was echoed by Türkiye Today’s account of early specifications.
The program’s timeline also remained conditional in some reporting, with Axios saying “Construction is expected in 2028” while also framing the cost as preliminary and tied to design and vendor capacity.
Industrial Pressure and Past Delays
The reporting connected the battleship’s projected cost and design complexity to a broader concern about the United States’ ability to build and sustain warships.
“Skip to main content 4 hours ago - Technology First Trump battleship will cost more than $17 billion Colin Demarest email (opens in new window) sms (opens in new window) facebook (opens in new window) twitter (opens in new window) linkedin (opens in new window) bluesky (opens in new window) Add Axios as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google”
Axios said, “The U.S. struggles to build and maintain its current warships,” and it pointed to the USS Boise, stating that the Navy “pulled the plug on after it sat pier-side for about a decade.”
Phelan told reporters, “We are looking at a couple of different ways to relieve some of the pressure that might put on the industrial base,” and he added, “I think we have to still define that a little bit more.”
Türkiye Today similarly said the report pointed out that “the U.S. already faces challenges in constructing and sustaining its existing fleet,” citing the USS Boise, which “was ultimately scrapped after remaining docked for roughly a decade.”
Anadolu Ajansı also cited the USS Boise as an example, saying it was “ultimately scrapped after remaining docked for roughly a decade,” and it included Phelan’s remarks about relieving pressure on the industrial base.
In addition to the shipbuilding capacity issue, the reporting described how additional demand could tax yards, with Axios stating, “Additional demand could tax public and private yards.”
Leadership Shake-Up and Friction
The battleship cost and design discussions arrived amid personnel turmoil in the Navy leadership, according to the reporting that referenced Axios and other details.
In the yalibnan account, it said “Phelan fired Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Phelan last week,” describing the situation as catching people off-guard and adding that it “adds to the pile of military officials who have either abruptly exited or been pushed out of their posts under Trump 2.0.”
The same report quoted a person familiar with the situation saying, “Phelan didn’t understand he wasn’t the boss. His job is to follow orders given, not follow the orders he thinks should be given,” and it also said, “Phelan and Hegseth did not “get along.””
It further described a chain-of-command issue, stating that Hegseth felt Phelan had “bypassed the chain of command too much with a direct line to Trump.”
The yalibnan text also said that “Phelan and President Trump are said to have a good relationship,” and it referenced that “The two have texted about rust on warships.”
It added that the firing came “amid a naval standoff with Iran,” and it noted that it was “some three weeks after Hegseth removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and two other military leaders.”
What Comes Next
The next steps for the Trump-class battleship program, as described across the reporting, hinge on design rationalization, vendor engagement, and decisions that remain unsettled.
“Key findings - Defense experts criticize the Trump-class battleship proposed by President Trump for its high cost, long development timeline, and vulnerability to enemy attacks”
Axios said Phelan described the cost as an “early, initial estimate,” and he framed it as something that would be refined as the Navy “start[s] to rationalize some of the costs,” while also tying the final number to “how we get through that design process with them and then their capacity in their yards.”
Axios also said the Navy is “still debating whether to make the battleship nuclear powered,” and it pointed to preliminary specs that include “laser turrets, a railgun” and “room for hypersonic and nuclear weapons,” with “at least 650 sailors.”
Türkiye Today and Anadolu Ajansı both reiterated that the program remains in early planning and that the nuclear-powered question is not settled, while also repeating the projected construction start in 2028.
The industrial-base pressure described by Phelan—“relieve some of the pressure that might put on the industrial base”—suggests that the program’s ability to move from planning to construction will depend on how the Navy manages shipyard capacity and demand.
The reporting also linked the battleship project to the broader Golden Fleet initiative, with Axios stating that the initiative includes “the future frigate, based on HII’s far-more defined National Security Cutter,” implying that the battleship is part of a wider procurement and design agenda.
