The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), sails in formation with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Winston Churchill (DDG 81), USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), and USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) in the Atlantic Ocean, Nov. 12, 2024. (Jacob Mattingly/U.S. Navy)
The Navy plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on shipbuilding over the next few years as it works to amass a larger, stronger fleet that now includes a nuclear-powered battleship.
The service’s 2027 shipbuilding plan, released Monday, calls for $305.7 billion in spending from 2027 to 2031 on submarines, destroyers, amphibious ships, oilers and other “battle force” vessels.
The annual blueprint outlines how the Navy will expand its fleet, modernize its force and build up the U.S. maritime industrial base over the next 30 years.
This year’s plan also offers a look at the Navy’s “Golden Fleet” initiative, which aims to preserve existing Navy platforms while rapidly expanding its force of surface combatants, auxiliary ships and unmanned vessels.
“This plan outlines how we will deliver the capability our warfighters deserve,” acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said in a statement. He added that success would be measured by growing a larger, more capable fleet, both manned and unmanned.
To that end, the Navy will invest in 75 vessels from 2027 to 2031, including five Columbia-class submarines, seven Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and 23 medium landing ships.
The list also includes five amphibious transport dock ships, five ocean surveillance vessels and three Trump-class nuclear-powered battleships, a proposed new class of warship first unveiled in December.
“The battleship’s primary role is to deliver high-volume, long-range offensive fires and serve as a robust, survivable forward command and control platform,” the service said. “It is not a destroyer replacement.”
According to the blueprint, the Trump-class battleship will feature hypersonic weapon capabilities and is meant to send “an unmistakable signal of American resolve matched today only by our aircraft carriers.”
The Navy said the Trump-class battleship, seen as the centerpiece of the “Golden Fleet”, is needed because Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyers are nearing the limits of their design capacity. The battleships, it said, will be built with a modular architecture intended to support future weapons and systems.
All told, the Navy envisions a force of 299 battle force ships, 68 auxiliary vessels and 83 unmanned vessels by 2031. The service currently operates 291 battle force ships, although it is required by law to have 355, according to the plan.
The scheme also includes retiring 46 ships, including two aircraft carriers, 10 destroyers and cruisers, and 16 submarines of various classes from 2027 to 2031.
The plan also validated Ford-class aircraft carriers, calling them a battle-proven design and citing 10,500 aircraft launches and recoveries aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford during its most recent deployment.
That achievement showcased the class’s increased combat power and ability to maintain high-tempo operations, the Navy said.
The service also said it would invest $3.11 billion to buy 47 medium unmanned surface drones and another $1.13 billion to buy 16 extra large unmanned underwater vehicles over the same five-year period. The systems, the Navy said, would increase mission success rates while reducing risk to ships and personnel.
