And just like that, the Navy’s frigate program is back on—sort of
The move comes days after Navy Secretary John Phelan canceled the yearslong delayed program.
Lauren C. Williams | December 8, 2025
SIMI VALLEY, California.—The White House has greenlit a plan to design and build a frigate domestically as part of its proposed “Golden Fleet,” Navy Secretary John Phelan announced at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday.
President Donald Trump “has signed off on what we are calling the Golden Fleet…We will continue to build ships that are the cornerstones of the fleet—carriers, destroyers, amphibs, submarines. But we need new ships and we need modern ships,” Phelan said, referring to a conversation with the president, defense secretary, and White House budget director last week.
“We will be building a frigate. It will be based on an American design. It is something we can build that we think, actually, will be done before the old Constellation.”
The announcement comes just over a week after Phelan canceled the U.S. Constellation-class frigate program, which was years behind schedule. The navy secretary was scant on details but hinted there was more to come on the “big, beautiful ship.”
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2025/12/and-just-navys-frigate-program-back-sort/409993/?oref=d1-homepage-river
