Reference News Network December 21 report: According to the website of the U.S. "Wall Street Journal", on December 19, the U.S. Navy will deploy a new type of frigate as the first warships of the "Golden Fleet" envisioned by President Trump.
The U.S. Navy posted a video on social media on the 19th, stating that it has selected Ingalls Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries, to build this new warship. The ship is based on the U.S. Coast Guard's Legend-class patrol vessel and will replace the "Constellation"-class frigate project, which was canceled last month due to years of delays.
Admiral Daryl C. Copeland, Chief of Naval Operations, said in the video: "Recent operations from the Red Sea to the Caribbean have clearly shown the demand - our small surface combatant fleet is only one-third of what is actually needed. We need more small combat ships with long-range operational capabilities to fill the capability gap, thus allowing our destroyers to focus on high-end combat missions."
Secretary of the Navy John F. Hennessey said in the video that although the first ship will be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries, the Navy plans for other shipyards to complete the construction of more ships, so that these ships can join the fleet more quickly. The Navy hopes the first ship will be launched by 2028 at the latest.
President Trump himself participated in the planning of this new fleet. Earlier this month, Hennessey told the "Wall Street Journal" that President Trump approved the Navy's "Golden Fleet" plan in the White House Oval Office on December 3.
The new frigate will be a core component of the fleet, its mission being to protect large ships and sea lanes, and to counter various threats such as enemy aircraft and surface ships. The previous "Constellation"-class frigate was designed as a multi-mission missile frigate capable of operating in conjunction with aircraft carriers.
When announcing the new warship construction plan on social media, Hennessey said: "This frigate will follow the proven approach we used in building the 'Arleigh Burke'-class destroyers, ensuring scientific planning from the design stage, and then upgrading in stages as threats and technologies evolve."
The construction plan for the "Constellation"-class frigate was approved by Trump during his first presidential term, and was to be built in Wisconsin by Italian Fincantieri Shipyard. The "Constellation"-class frigate was originally planned to achieve 85% parts commonality with the multi-mission frigate already built in Europe by the company, jointly developed by France and Italy. Russell Walker, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, stated at an early meeting of the Reagan Defense Forum that due to changes in the U.S. Navy's design, the final parts commonality between the two types of ships was only 15%. The U.S. Navy has invested about $2 billion in the project so far, but will only receive the first two ships.
Hennessey said that in addition to this new frigate, the "Golden Fleet" will bring major changes to the composition of the U.S. Navy's existing warships, including the deployment of a new large surface combat ship. The "Wall Street Journal" previously reported that officials from the White House and the Pentagon have been discussing the construction of a new generation of heavy armored warships, which could have a displacement of up to 15,000 to 20,000 tons, carry more powerful weapons, and even possibly equipped with hypersonic missiles.
Hennessey said the "Golden Fleet" will also include at least 49 new support vessels, including tankers and transport ships, and the Navy will request them in the budget application for next year. (Translated by Qing Songzhu)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7586197476693000767/
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