Donald Trump announces a new class of military ships that will bear his name: “They will be a hundred times more powerful”
Donald Trump announced the launch of a new class of warships named after him. The American president claims that they will be bigger, faster and much more powerful than the ships now in the equipment of the United States Naval Forces.
Donald Trump announced the launch of a new class of warships PHOTO: X/ @CGTNOfficial
Donald Trump on Monday unveiled plans for a new class of warships, dubbed the Trump class. According to the White House leader, future ships will be “a hundred times stronger” than the existing ones, which he described as “old, worn and outdated”, reports CNN.
The announcement was made in front of a model on display in the library of his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
A “Golden Fleet” for military supremacy
The American president stated that the new ships “they will help maintain American military supremacy in the world, revitalize the American shipbuilding industry, and inspire fear among America's enemies.”
The plan foresees, in a first stage, the construction of two ships, quickly followed by another eight. Donald Trump said that the project could be expanded to 20 or even 25 ships, which will eventually form a so-called “Golden FleetThe first ship of this class will be named USS Defiant.
The Secretary of the US Navy, businessman John Phelan, stated that the Trump-class ships will have “greater tonnage and firepower than ever before in historyHe said the components would be built in all 50 US states and that the ships would also carry nuclear-capable cruise missiles.
In addition to these ships, the “Golden Fleet” program also includes increasing the number of other types of military ships, including a new class of frigates that are smaller and more agile than the current ones.
Trump's personal involvement in the design
Known for putting his personal stamp on major projects, Donald Trump said he would be directly involved in the design of the new ships. “The US Navy will lead the design of these ships with me because I am a very aesthetic person“, said the American president.
Flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also the national security adviser, Trump offered more technical details. The ships will be equipped with hypersonic weapons, electric cannons and “the most sophisticated lasers in the world”.
Each ship will have a tonnage of between 30,000 and 40,000 tons and will be built in the United States. “They will be mostly controlled by artificial intelligenceDonald Trump also said.We envision that these vessels will be the first of a whole new class of vessels to be produced in the coming years.”.
The US president also announced a program to modernize American aircraft carriers, also included in the “Golden Fleet”.
Criticisms related to the appearance of current ships
Donald Trump has also complained in the past about the design of some US military ships. “I'm not a fan of the ships you build. I'm a very aesthetic person and I don't like some of the ships you build,” he said earlier this year to a group of officers gathered in Quantico, Virginia.
