The U.S. Navy has released the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Shipbuilding Plan, a 30-year strategic framework based on the Trump administration’s “Golden Fleet” initiative, aimed at expanding the U.S. fleet, reforming the Navy’s procurement system, and revitalizing the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
The plan requests $65.8 billion (approximately RMB 447.1 billion) from the U.S. Congress for national defense shipbuilding in FY2027. In FY2027, the Navy seeks funding to procure 34 ships and 5 unmanned platforms; over the five-year planning period (FY2027–FY2031), the Navy plans to procure 122 ships and 63 unmanned platforms, making it one of the most aggressive naval expansion plans in decades.
According to the plan, the national defense shipbuilding program will focus on three core areas: reforming the Navy’s ship procurement model, strengthening maritime superiority through a “high-low mix” fleet structure, and revitalizing the shipbuilding industrial base.
The U.S. Navy states that the current number of active combat ships is 291, far below the statutory requirement of 355. It also emphasizes that the defense shipbuilding budget has doubled over the past 20 years, yet the fleet size has not grown compared to 2003.
In terms of revitalizing the shipbuilding industrial base, the Navy notes that only about 10% of defense shipbuilding projects are currently allocated to different shipyards. The U.S. plans to increase this proportion to 50% through measures such as modular construction, digital design, and strengthening the national supply chain.
The Navy’s defense shipbuilding projects for FY2027–FY2031 include: 5 Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, 10 Virginia-class attack submarines, 7 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, 4 frigates, 2 amphibious assault ships, 5 amphibious dock landing ships, 23 medium landing ships, 7 fleet replenishment ships, 5 ocean surveillance ships, and a new nuclear-powered battleship (BBGN). Additionally, the Navy plans to advance the procurement of the CVN-82 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier from FY2030 to FY2029.
The most notable proposal in this series of shipbuilding projects is the new nuclear-powered battleship, designed to provide long-range firepower, high-survivability command and control capabilities, enhanced power generation, advanced weapon systems, and space for future system upgrades. The Navy states that this ship is not a replacement for destroyers but a new type of high-end surface combatant intended to augment the combat power of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer fleet.
In the low-end configuration area, the Navy is advancing a new frigate program aimed at reducing the burden on destroyers in missions such as escort, anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction, homeland defense, and counter-narcotics operations.
In terms of unmanned systems, the FY2027 budget includes 3 Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels (MUSV); over the five-year planning period, the plan calls for procuring 47 MUSVs and 16 Extra-Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUV).
This national defense shipbuilding plan will also strengthen performance constraints on military shipyards: the Navy will provide stable equipment demand and long-term order expectations but requires contractor shipyards to deliver on time and within budget.
Notably, the release of this defense shipbuilding plan comes at a time when the U.S. Navy has long faced issues such as ship delivery delays, tight nuclear submarine production capacity, and aging government-owned shipyards. Whether the plan succeeds depends not only on congressional appropriations but also on whether U.S. shipyards and suppliers can rapidly expand production capacity.
