The Golden Fleet and the Future of U.S. Maritime Superiority
By Jihoon Yu
October 29, 2025
The “Golden Fleet” initiative currently under discussion within U.S. naval circles represents far more than a new procurement program—it reflects a recalibration of how the United States intends to maintain maritime dominance amid rapid strategic change. According to recent reporting, the plan envisions a “barbell-shaped” fleet: a smaller number of very large, heavily armed surface combatants paired with a greater number of unmanned or minimally crewed vessels. These surface combatants would carry long-range missiles—potentially hypersonic—while the unmanned vessels would provide mass, persistence, and distributed capacity.
Strategically, this initiative is driven by the growing maritime challenge posed by China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, the rapid proliferation of advanced anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities, and the emergence of maritime domains where speed, reach, stealth, and autonomy matter more than raw ship numbers. The U.S. Navy appears to recognize that the Cold War model of massive numbers of similar hulls is no longer optimal. Instead, combining fewer high-capability platforms with many autonomous systems aims to generate both deterrence and resilience.
However, the plan carries serious implications and risks. Constructing large new warships while simultaneously fielding numerous autonomous platforms will strain an industrial base already under pressure. The U.S. shipbuilding enterprise faces cost growth, production delays, workforce shortages, and declining capacity. The Golden Fleet’s ambitions raise the stakes of reform dramatically, demanding not only more efficient procurement but also long-term investment in industrial infrastructure and skilled labor.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/10/29/the_golden_fleet_and_the_future_of_us_maritime_superiority_1144005.html
