AUKUS Forum – President Trump today unveiled plans for a new class of U.S. Navy “Trump-class” battleships — large surface combatants intended to expand American naval power under a broader initiative called the “Golden Fleet.”

• The U.S. will pursue construction of a new battleship class, beginning with two ships and potentially expanding to around 20–25 vessels.

• The first of these will be named the USS Defiant. It will be longer and larger than the World War II-era Iowa-class battleships and will be armed with hypersonic missiles, nuclear cruise missiles, rail guns, and high-powered lasers — all technologies that are in various stages of development by the U.S. Navy.