President Trump’s “Golden Fleet”
Washington, DC, Dec 22 (EFE).-
President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the construction of two new warships that will bear his name, announcing the launch of what he called a “Golden Fleet” as part of his administration’s push to expand United States naval power and revive the domestic shipbuilding industry.
The vessels, described by Trump as “battleships,” will be the first of a future “Trump class” and will begin construction “immediately,” the president said, adding that up to 25 additional ships could eventually be built.
Trump unveiled the plan at his private Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, where he said the warships will also be built.
Contractors are expected to meet with the president next week to discuss the project.
“They’ll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” Trump said, without providing technical details.
He stressed the need to build the vessels “quickly” and criticized current naval contractors, arguing that existing shipbuilders “are not doing a good job.”
Reviving US naval power
The order reflects one of the Trump administration’s key priorities: revitalizing the US shipbuilding sector and expanding military ship production amid concerns that the US is falling behind competitors, particularly China.
US officials have repeatedly warned about capacity constraints at domestic shipyards and the growing size of China’s navy, which has become the world’s largest by number of vessels.
Trump has said the new initiative is intended to strengthen national security while creating jobs and restoring US industrial leadership in naval construction.
Part of broader military pressure campaign
The announcement comes one week after Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, in a bid to choke off what Washington describes as the country’s “ghost fleet” and its oil exports, the backbone of the Venezuelan economy.
Since Dec. 10, the United States has detained two tankers linked to the transport of Venezuelan crude, using its extensive military deployment in the Caribbean, officially justified as part of counter-narcotics operations.
The administration has framed both actions as part of a broader effort to project US military strength abroad while rebuilding defense capabilities at home. EFE
dte/seo
