Phelan recently suggested to #Trump that the #Navy might have to rely on European shipyards to deliver the #battleships on the ambitious timeline Trump was demanding, senior #military & administration officials said.

Trump rejected the suggestion.

In his December news conference, announcing the battleships, Trump had vowed that the vessels—“the largest battleship in the history of the world ever built”—would be made in the US with US steel.

#kakistocracy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

In #Trump’s [delusional] imagination the new warship would be massive, weighing as much as 40,000 tons, & would be packed with new high-tech weapons, like lasers, hypersonic missiles & electric rail guns, most of which are still in development & years from being deployed.

In recent weeks, it had become clear to Phelan that the #Navy & the #US shipbuilding industry did not have the ability to deliver on Trump’s vision.

#MilitaryReadiness #kakistocracy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

“The ship’s purported characteristics are so extraordinary that the announcement will surely spark immense discussion,” wrote Mark F. Cancian, an expert on #military budgeting with CSIS. “However, there is little need for said discussion because this ship will never sail.”

The ship would take “years to design,” Cancian noted. “A future administration will cancel the program before the first ship hits the water.”

#MilitaryReadiness #Trump #kakistocracy #Navy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

The #Navy is also projecting that it will be asking for $17 billion in fiscal year 2028 to start construction on the first of the #Trump class, Navy ofcls said.

But snr #defense ofcls said the program, along with Trump’s ambitious plans for his golden fleet, was marred by problems. The US shipbuilding industry has nowhere near the capacity to build a technologically advanced #battleship of the sort Trump is envisioning in the next few years, snr #military ofcls said.

#GovernmentSpending

…Before the #Navy settled on its plans for the Trump-class #battleship, Phelan wooed #Trump to the idea by showing oil paintings of some of the service’s great battleships from earlier eras, #defense officials said.

In its $1.5 trillion defense budget, released earlier this week, the Trump admin is asking for $65.8 billion for shipbuilding, the second-largest shipbuilding budget proposal since 1955, according to Congressional Budget Office data.

#kakistocracy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

Presidents rarely pay close attention to military procurement, but #Trump has spoken repeatedly about his plans for a new “Trump-class” #battleship. In a February speech to soldiers at Fort Bragg, NC, Trump insisted that he had helped design the new class of ships that bear his name.

“I put a little more spirit in the hull,” Trump told the troops. “I want that ship to look gorgeous, you know.”

#MilitaryReadiness #kakistocracy #Navy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

Phelan’s job was to deliver the first of Trump’s #battleships by 2028, an impossible deadline.

On Wednesday, #Trump fired Phelan, who had struggled to come up with a plan to deliver the ships on the nearly impossible timeline that Trump has demanded, senior defense & admin officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.

#JohnPhelan #Navy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism #greed