A US congressional committee has cast doubt on Donald Trump’s “Golden Fleet” programme, warning it could overwhelm already strained nuclear-powered shipbuilding capacity and calling for a detailed review of its centrepiece battleship.
One lawmaker also warned of the vulnerability of battleships in modern maritime warfare, citing the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army’s Dongfeng missile series, which includes the DF-21D ballistic missile – widely dubbed a “carrier killer”.
The congressional move comes amid growing doubts over whether Washington can successfully revive its naval industrial base to counter Beijing’s rapidly expanding fleet.
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) voted to advance the national defence budget bill for 2027 on Friday (Thursday, US Eastern time), after passing several amendments.
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One successful amendment was introduced by Congressman Joe Courtney, a Democrat, who called for the navy secretary to prepare a report by next March on how the planned BBG(X) nuclear-powered guided-missile battleship could be built without disrupting existing nuclear shipbuilding programmes.
US President Donald Trump announced plans for the BBG(X) – or “Trump-class” battleship – last December as part of a proposed Golden Fleet.
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“The committee is concerned about the possibility of strain on US nuclear shipyards and maritime industrial base posed by the aggressive schedule proposed for producing a nuclear-powered BBG(X) platform,” the amendment reads.
It noted that the United States had just two shipyards capable of building nuclear-powered vessels – of which only one had an active production line for surface vessels – and a single supplier of naval nuclear reactors.