WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s proposed fleet of nuclear-powered battleships could cost approximately $275 billion to develop and purchase, according to a new Congressional Budget Office analysis.
The nonpartisan agency estimates that the first of 15 planned vessels, the USS Defiant, would cost roughly $23.4 billion. Each additional ship could average about $18 billion, with the full program extending through 2056. The first vessel may require at least eight years to construct.
Trump unveiled the battleships in December as the centerpiece of his planned “Golden Fleet,” promising vessels larger, faster and substantially more powerful than previous American warships. The Navy later selected nuclear propulsion instead of the originally proposed gas-turbine engines, increasing the program’s cost and technical complexity.
The administration wants construction to begin quickly, but lawmakers from both parties have questioned the Navy’s request for $1 billion in advance procurement funding before completing the design, cost analysis and operational requirements.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, who requested the CBO review, called the proposal a potential military “boondoggle.” Sen. Jack Reed separately questioned whether massive surface ships fit modern warfare, which increasingly emphasizes distributed forces, submarines, drones and long-range missiles.
The Navy also faces persistent shipyard capacity problems and delays across existing destroyer and submarine programs, raising further doubts about the fleet’s proposed schedule.
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