John Phelan failed to quickly deliver plans for the US president’s grand naval vanity project, according to the New York Times
US President Donald Trump fired his navy secretary after he failed to deliver a plan to build a new class of battleship on a “nearly impossible timeline,” the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing senior defense and administration officials.
In December, the US president unveiled plans for a futuristic new warship that would be armed with multiple cutting-edge weapons like laser combat systems, railguns, and hypersonic missiles. It would be called the Trump-class and anchor a new “Golden Fleet,” he said.
Then Navy Secretary John Phelan, also speaking at the announcement, promised “the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best-looking warship anywhere.”
According to the Times, the billionaire investor turned naval administrator was to deliver the first battleship, expected to cost around $17 billion, by 2028.
On Wednesday, Trump fired Phelan after he “struggled to come up with a plan to deliver the ships on the nearly impossible timeline that Mr. Trump has demanded,” the newspaper wrote.
Senior military officials have said that the US shipbuilding industry has “nowhere near the capacity to build a technologically advanced battleship of the sort Mr. Trump is envisioning in the next few years,” the Times wrote.
When Phelan realized this, he came to Trump suggesting that Washington approach European shipyards for help to meet the president’s timeline, the Times wrote. The president reportedly rejected this, having previously insisted that the vessel be built in the US with American steel.
Phelan’s ouster was accelerated by his “enemies in the Pentagon,” including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his deputy Stephen Feinberg, according to the Times. Hegseth felt the billionaire had bypassed the chain of command too much by exploiting his personal relationship with Trump, Axios wrote on Wednesday.
The US shipbuilding industry has faced challenges in recent years.
The Zumwalt-class destroyer program, once intended to produce dozens of advanced stealth ships, was cut to just three vessels after costs rose sharply and technical issues emerged. The entire program cost US taxpayers around $24.5 billion, according to a 2018 GAO review.
Last week, a fire aboard the USS Zumwalt injured at least three sailors, USNI has reported. The extent of the damage to the vessel is still being determined, it wrote.
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