The Battleship Comeback: Article Summary and Key Points
-President Trump’s Quantico riff about bringing battleships back lit up the “Big Gun” crowd—but sentiment runs headlong into modern war.
USS Iowa Logo National Security Journal Photo. Taken August 15, 2025.
16-Inch Iowa-Class Guns. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
-Iowa-class museum ships aren’t ready for combat, their 16-inch guns reach just 23–27 miles, and today’s seas swarm with long-range missiles and drones.
-Heavier armor sounds reassuring, yet weight kills speed, sensors, and flexibility.
-The smarter play: more magazines, lasers, and unmanned platforms to swat cheap threats without risking crews.
-Expect tougher, better-protected ships over time—not a WWII throwback.
-In a missile age, the battleship fantasy is fun to picture, but the Navy’s future is cheaper shots and fewer sailors in harm’s way.
Are U.S. Navy Battleships Coming Back on Active Duty?
If you love battleships, you are going to want to read this article. That’s because the giant dreadnoughts (or something like them) may return to active duty. President Donald Trump referred to battleships in his recent conclave in Quantico, Virginia, on September 30, which included all the flag officers in the U.S. military in attendance.
It is not clear if his screed on battleships was part of his prepared remarks or if they were ruminations that he improvised. Trump sometimes goes off script when speaking about military hardware. The battleships potentially activated out of retirement would have to be the four Iowa-class vessels that are currently museum ships across the country.
There is an Upside to the Heavy Armor and Big Guns
Trump may have been making a broader point about how much armor should go on new ships built by the Navy. He could mean that vessels on the drawing board must become more heavily protected with greater firepower.
This would fit into his overall theme of lethality for the U.S. military. And it addresses the threats from new and more powerful anti-ship missiles and drones. The thicker armor would be able to better protect against these weapons. Ships need to be able to take a punch and survive these days.
Iowa-Class Battleship U.S. Navy Full. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Battleship Is Obsolete
Battleships have not served since 1992, and they are primarily for bombarding ground targets during amphibious landings. The big guns, though devastating in firepower, do not have the range of a Tomahawk cruise missile or other projectiles with a large combat radius. What kind of mission would battleships have in modern warfare at a time when the Navy is creating lasers and sea drones for modern combat?
Trump Explains What He Is Thinking
“I think we should maybe start thinking about battleships,” Trump said during his speech, admitting that he had spoken to Secretary of the Navy John Phelan about their use. “Some people would say, ‘No, that’s old technology.’ I don’t know. I don’t think it’s old technology when you look at those guns.”
“It’s something we’re actually considering, the concept of a battleship, nice, six-inch side, solid steel. Not aluminum, aluminum that melts. If it looks at a missile coming at it, [it] starts melting as the missile’s about two miles away,” he explained. “Now those ships, they don’t make them that way anymore, but you look at it, your Secretary [Phelan] likes it, and I’m sort of open to it. And bullets are a lot less expensive than missiles.”
“It’s something we’re seriously considering,” he reiterated. While some battleships were outfitted with missiles at the end of the Cold War, Trump seems to be enamored with the 16-inch and 5-inch guns that he believes are cheaper to fire than missiles.
That may be true, but it is unlikely that there will be short-range ship-on-ship warfare in the future. There could, however, be amphibious landings by the U.S. Marine Corps that would require the close air support provided by battleships, even though this mission for the Navy is typically executed through submarine-launched cruise missiles and strike warplanes. The 16-inch guns have a range of only 23 to 27 miles.
Steel Versus Aluminum
Having six-inch steel would also make newer ships heavy with less speed and maneuverability. It would also create a need to transform the way ship contractors construct ships. Aluminum on ships indeed has a lower melting point and more combustibility.
However, with the requirements for radar, sensors, and anti-aircraft systems, aluminum is necessary to maintain vessels’ buoyancy and speed. Littoral Combat Ships used significant amounts of aluminum in the 2000s.
(February 10, 2024) — The Zumwalt Class Guided Missile Destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) breaks away from the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos (T-AO 197) shortly before sunset after taking on fuel. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Mark D. Faram)
The Navy is currently conducting an “updated Battle Force Ship Assessment and Requirements review,” according to the War Zone. This could mean that heavier ships with thicker armor could be built.
Trump Has Loved Battleships for Years
Once when Trump was first running for president, he spoke aboard the Battleship Iowa at its museum in Los Angeles. Trump revealed that sending the Iowa back to active service would be a good thing.
Under President Ronald Reagan, the four Iowa-class battleships were redesignated for service. Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin were outfitted with launchers for 32 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 16 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, in addition to radar and electronic warfare capabilities. Missouri and Wisconsin served during Operation Desert Storm.
Bringing back the battleship may sound alluring, but there are practical matters to consider. The ships are way behind the times, with steam propulsion being just one example of their age. They have been converted to tourist attractions and are nowhere near ready to come back online. Many are in the midst of a restoration period to provide visitors with a better viewing experience. They are not undergoing construction to get them combat-ready.
I’m not inclined to support returning the battleship to duty. This seems foolhardy in an age where the Navy can better allocate resources to directed energy blasts and uncrewed vessels equipped with air defense interceptors, thereby avoiding the risk to sailors’ lives.
The era of the battleship is long over, and naval warfare has entered a different stage with ship-killing missiles and drones. A battleship would not have surface-to-air missiles to defend against these threats. New ships may have strengthened armor, though, and perhaps less aluminum, but the Department of War is not likely to bring in an ancient vessel just because Trump made some throwaway remarks during a speech.
He has made fanciful comments about weapons systems before, such as the time he referred to a new fighter jet called the F-55, which confused defense analysts and his own Air Force. This allusion to battleships may be one of those moments that will be ignored, too.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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Jim
October 2, 2025 at 1:15 pm
I grew up loving battleships. As a kid building model battleships, the USS Arizona & USS Missouri come to mind. And visited the USS Texas as a kid running around the decks and checking out the big guns up close.
The power & might of the big battleships got my attention and the history surrounding them.
The Iowa class with their sleek lines following function as the best examples of what could be produced by American Naval design & engineering.
The battleship will stand in the myths & annals of American History as symbolic of American determination and the power to turn that determination into action… with a task & purpose to achieve the objective.
Expressed best by the U. S. S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay upon the deck which the Japanese formally surrendered to end World War Two. Big Mo, what a sight!
Today, technology has rendered them as proud exemplars of our American History, to be preserved.
Missiles don’t need the platform required of 16-inch guns.
Dispersal of forces is the name of the game and multiplicity of missile launching platforms is at a premium.
Battleships would be a headhunting trophy for enemy forces and exposes a large compliment of crew for one target.
Missiles have longer range than 16-inch guns and potentially more accuracy. Battleships consume huge amounts of fuel and maintenance compared to smaller vessels which can have as much firepower as battleships via missiles.
Reviving the battleship as a misty-eyed sentiment when looking upon these sturdy vessels at port is as apple pie as all the other things which make us proud to be Americans.
They symbolize the power & might of the Red White and Blue of the Star Spangled Banner waving strong over the waves with guns roaring in unison signalling the battle is at hand.
… and,
America was upon the scene speaking her might.