US plans ‘Golden Fleet’ for maritime supremacy

Washington, October 7 (IANS): The Trump administration is pursuing a new “Golden Fleet” designed to restore American maritime dominance for the next century, linking an expansion of naval power with a broader effort to rebuild the country's diminished shipbuilding industrial base.

The strategy was outlined Tuesday as President Donald Trump visited Sparrows Point, Maryland, where his administration announced a new high-tech shipyard to expand production for the US Navy.

“This facility will be a vital linchpin in our overarching naval strategy,” an administration official said during the event, according to a transcript of the proceedings.

“Under President Trump's visionary leadership, our mandate is clear. We are building the Golden Fleet.”

The official described the planned fleet in sweeping terms.

“The Golden Fleet is a maritime force designed to dominate the seas, project overwhelming power, and guarantee American maritime supremacy for the next century, just as the Great White Fleet did 100 years ago.”

Trump said his administration had already secured more than $76 billion in funding for shipbuilding, with plans to produce more than 80 new vessels for the Navy.

The push comes amid concern in Washington over the erosion of America's shipbuilding capacity and the ability of the defence industrial base to produce ships and submarines quickly enough to meet military requirements.

The administration has made rebuilding domestic shipbuilding a central part of its defence and industrial policy, combining federal investment with private capital and seeking to bring new companies into a sector traditionally dominated by a small number of established contractors.

Trump used his Maryland appearance to argue that the United States had allowed a once-formidable shipbuilding industry to decline.

He said the new investment at Sparrows Point was part of what he described as a “golden age of shipbuilding” in the United States.

The Maryland project is intended to add production capacity for Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines, torpedo tubes and other submarine components, as well as autonomous underwater vessels.

It also represents an effort to bring newer defence technology companies into large-scale naval manufacturing.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the administration was demanding greater speed and production capacity from both the Pentagon and industry.

“In order to make America great again, you need to make your Navy great again,” Hegseth said. “You need to make shipbuilding great again, our manufacturing great again, our defense industrial base strong and robust again.”

“From day one, President Trump has demanded from the War Department speed, scale and urgency to build an arsenal of freedom befitting our warriors and considering the threats of the 21st century,” he said.

The administration's naval expansion goes beyond the Maryland facility.

Trump has directed the Pentagon to address persistent delays and cost overruns across major Navy programmes, increase competition among shipbuilders and expand the industrial base supporting nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.

A presidential memorandum issued in August ordered the Pentagon to prepare plans for establishing a fifth public Navy shipyard, which would be the first such facility in more than 80 years. It also directed greater use of private-sector capacity and investment to improve submarine and aircraft carrier readiness.

The administration has acknowledged that US naval shipbuilding faces significant structural problems. It has cited complex designs, repeated design changes, insufficient competition and an atrophied supplier base as factors contributing to delays and rising costs.