Washington, May 14 The Trump administration has unveiled an expansive naval modernisation push centred on the proposed “Golden Fleet” strategy to counter China’s rapidly growing maritime power, as top Navy and Marine Corps officials warned lawmakers that the United States risks losing its edge without urgent investments in ships, submarines, munitions and advanced technologies.
Appearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defence on Wednesday (local time), Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao described the $377.5 billion FY2027 Navy and Marine Corps budget request as a historic effort to restore American naval dominance against increasingly aggressive adversaries led by China.
“120 years ago, the Great White Fleet extended America’s reach across the globe,” Cao said. “We’re currently at the forefront of history with a budget that will create the Golden Fleet, which renews that maritime dominance.”
The proposed budget includes 34 new ships, 123 aircraft and five unmanned vessels in FY2027, with plans to add 122 manned and 63 unmanned ships over the next five years.
Cao said the Navy’s priorities were clear: “take care of our sailors and Marines, build ships, and protect our homeland.”
Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle said the Navy’s new “Golden Fleet Initiative” was specifically designed to address emerging threats from China through a mix of traditional warships, autonomous systems and advanced technologies.
“That strategy is realised through the Golden Fleet Initiative, a fleet design that blends high and lower-end combatants, integrates robotic and autonomous systems, and enables scalable formations to outpace emerging threats,” Caudle said.
He said the Navy must rapidly integrate artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, directed energy weapons and long-range precision strike systems into future combat operations.
“Our FY27 budget request is strategy-driven,” Caudle told lawmakers. “Winning will depend on the strength and adaptability of our kill chains and kill webs.”
Marine Corps Commandant Eric M. Smith said the Marine Corps was accelerating modernisation efforts focused on precision fires, unmanned systems, resilient command-and-control networks and operations in contested maritime environments.
“We remain committed to modernising everything from our marine expeditionary units to our marine expeditionary forces,” Smith said.
Lawmakers from both parties, however, raised concerns over whether the Navy could realistically execute such an ambitious expansion amid growing maintenance backlogs, delayed shipbuilding and mounting war costs.
Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert warned that China now surpasses the US Navy in total warships and possesses shipbuilding capacity estimated to be “over 200 times greater” than America’s.
“Funding alone does not guarantee on-time delivery and is no substitute for sound programme management and rigorous oversight,” Calvert said. “Speed without accountability is how programmes go sideways.”
Ranking Member Betty McCollum questioned the affordability of the Navy’s proposed nuclear-powered guided missile battleship programme, expected to cost roughly $43 billion over five years.
“We have no idea what the ship design is,” McCollum said. “People back home are going to ask me, show me the design, show me the product, show me what you’re buying with my tax dollars.”
Lawmakers also pressed officials over the growing use of mandatory funding and reconciliation mechanisms to finance key Navy programmes, warning that delays in congressional approvals could disrupt shipbuilding and munitions procurement.
Caudle acknowledged the risks.
“Without both being passed, I am deeply concerned,” he said while discussing funding for munitions, F-35 fighters and future shipbuilding programmes.
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