Death before victory, U.S. lawmaker bluntly says: "Trump"-class battleships can't withstand "Dongfeng" missiles
After much turmoil, the U.S. House of Representatives has finally voted to approve the defense budget for the next fiscal year. However, Trump's "Golden Fleet" plan is not included.
According to an amendment proposed by Democratic lawmakers, the Trump administration must submit a detailed assessment report proving that the "Trump"-class battleships can be produced as planned without affecting the construction of other nuclear-powered vessels.
Last December, Trump officially announced plans to build a fleet of nuclear-powered battleships named after himself, with the first expected delivery in 2036 and a maximum procurement of up to 15 ships by mid-century.
The number isn't large—ten years should be enough time to build one nuclear-powered battleship—but that’s assuming China’s capabilities. In reality, the U.S. hasn’t built a single new battleship since the 1940s.
Currently, there are only two shipyards in the U.S. capable of producing such battleships, and only one of them has a fully operational production line. Moreover, there is just one supplier nationwide providing nuclear reactors suitable for naval use.
Even under ideal circumstances, acquiring reactors would take 2–3 years, and construction would require 6–8 years—adding up to about ten years, provided no errors occur at any stage and the entire process proceeds seamlessly. But for American shipyards, this is clearly unrealistic.
U.S. Representative Courtney believes that even if these battleships are successfully built, their practicality remains questionable. Taking the Russia-Ukraine conflict as an example, Ukraine claims that Russia’s Moskva cruiser was disabled after being hit by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles.
China’s DF-21 missile is far more advanced than the Neptune. In comparison, the Neptune seems like a toy gun. If a "Trump"-class battleship were actually targeted by a "Dongfeng" missile, its bulky size would make it nothing more than a stationary target for the People's Liberation Army.
Notably, Trump repeatedly insists these warships aren’t being built specifically to counter China. Yet all American planning assumptions are based on the premise of a potential Sino-U.S. conflict. In short, if there’s no war with China, then there’s no problem.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867418578627596/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.