What is the battleship of the future? If you are a Donald Trump supporter, you already know the answer to this question. The mercurial and ascerbic president does not pull punches, even when discussing the Navy’s future military hardware. Trump and his national security team envision a mega-missile barge called the USS Defiant, the lead vessel in the new Trump-class battleship line.
The Arleigh Burke-class Flight III Is the Answer
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) sails alongside Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on Dec. 8, 2025. USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), flagship of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, demonstrating the U.S. Navy’s long-term commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathaly Cruz)
However, another ship may be better than what Trump is proposing with the Defiant. The Arleigh Burke Flight III guided-missile destroyers have much to write home about. They feature advanced radar that can mitigate the impact of enemy strikes. The Arleigh Burkes have enviable speed and agility. These “tin can” Navy ships pack a punch and could fulfill the role of whatever Trump’s national security team has planned for the uber-expensive USS Defiant. Keep in mind the Trump-class battleships could cost between $17 and $19 billion.
The Aegis Combat System is Indispensable
I love the Arleigh Burkes for one capability: the Aegis Combat System. It provides a protective shield for aircraft carrier strike groups. The Aegis also has the SPY-1D multifunction passive electronically scanned array radar.
Without the Arleigh Burkes escorting carriers, there would have been hits from Iranian missiles and drones that could have severely damaged or even destroyed U.S. carriers like the USS Abraham Lincoln.
This Is One Powerful Destroyer
When not in carrier strike groups, the Arleigh Burke-class can form their own surface warfare flotillas to take out enemy warships. They can aid a U.S. Marine Corps amphibious invasion with Tomahawk cruise missiles. The Burkes are also highly effective in anti-submarine warfare.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) participates in a photo exercise alongside the U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy during Operation NANOOK (OP NANOOK), Aug. 18, 2024. OP NANOOK is the Canadian Armed Forces’ annual series of Arctic exercises designed to enhance defense capabilities, ensure the security of northern regions, and improve interoperability with Allied forces. Black participated in the operation alongside the U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian and Danish Allies to bolster Arctic readiness and fulfill each nation’s defense commitments. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Rylin Paul)
For air defense, the destroyers feature the Standard Missile (SM) family of interceptors. These protect against aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones. There are extra vertical-launch ASROC missiles. Six Mark-46 torpedoes can end the life of a submarine. The Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile is also onboard. There is a close-in weapons system for the last line of defense.
More Specs Are Impressive
Four General Electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines with two shafts push out a nice speed of 30 knots. There are 276 sailors on board. The Flight II also has an excellent electrical power and cooling system with updated generators.
Scoping to the Max With New Radar
The Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, AN/SPY-6(V)1, installed on the Flight III variant, is 30 times more powerful than previous models. This allows the destroyer to rapidly identify multiple missile and drone threats.
Key Asset in the ‘Kinetic Missile Fight’
This radar makes the Aegis Combat System even better, especially by improving how destroyers track enemy bogeys. This is badly needed in what I call the “Kinetic Missile Fight,” in which adversaries like China will combine their ability to use carrier-killing missiles with anti-access/ area denial gambits to potentially eliminate U.S. flat-tops or at least to keep the Americans from patrolling sensitive areas like the Taiwan Strait.
Trump-Class Battleship. Image Credit: White House.
The Navy has ordered 24 Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers, and the time is right for these tin cans to patrol various hot spots around the world. I can sleep better knowing these ships will be major parts of carrier strike groups during the Kinetic Missile Fight.
What About the Trump-class Battleship?
Could a fleet of Flight IIIs be better than the proposed Trump-class USS Defiant? These new battleships will certainly have firepower. The Navy aims to equip the Defiant with 128 Vertical Launch Cells, each carrying missiles designed to destroy ships, aircraft, and submarines. The featured projectile is the Tomahawk cruise missile. There may also be nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles and an innovative rail gun.
The Trump-class is one ambitious and expensive project that may never see the light of day. I have recommended that the battleship program be funded with only a $100 million research and development line item for the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act. If the Navy and the Department of Defense agree, this could make Trump flustered. He would want more than that to make his dream of a battleship a reality.
Congress Could Bite Back Against the Trump-class
There do not seem to be Congressional champions for the expensive battleships. The Arleigh Burke Flight IIIs are not cheap at $2.5 billion per ship, but that is much more cost-effective than the Trump-class.
As the current composition of Congress stands now, there are two Republicans who need to be convinced that the Trump-class will need to be fully funded beyond research and development dollars. Representative Mike Rogers chairs the House Armed Services Committee, and Senator Roger Wicker leads the Senate Armed Services Committee. These members are liable to support Trump’s large funding request for the Trump-class and keep money flowing into the Arleigh Burke Flight III program.
Democrats Would Clobber the New Battleship
But the two legislators friendly with Trump may give up the gavel if Democrats take both chambers of Congress. The Left-wing party is polling well. If the midterms don’t go Trump’s way, you will see some naysayers about the Trump-class due to its expense and the massive arms systems that could be difficult to integrate on one ship in a timely manner.
Anything with Trump’s name on it is anathema to Democrats, and the USS Defiant may just be a pipe dream with not enough friends in Congress.
Invest in the Destroyers for Maximum Effect
For these political reasons, the Arleigh Burke-class Flight III investment may make more sense. The destroyers are needed in the modern era, and their expertise in protecting carriers is of paramount importance during the Kinetic Missile Fight. All U.S. adversaries dream of damaging and sinking a U.S. flat-top, and without modern escort ships, the unthinkable could happen.
That’s why I recommend spending only a minimal amount on research and development for the Trump-class rather than a significant outlay. We don’t know if the USS Defiant missile barge is even possible to produce with all the features Trump envisions. The Navy may have the answer to surviving and thriving during the Kinetic Missile Fight, and that is to bolster the Burke -class tin can navy to the Flight III standard instead of designing a brand new battleship.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood, PhD
Author of now over 3,500 articles on defense issues, 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.
