President-elect Donald Trump has expressed criticism regarding the management of the US Navy’s Constellation-class frigate program, pointing to cost increases attributed to what he described as „playing around and tinkering and changing the design.”
In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump referenced a deal established in 2020 during his first administration between the Pentagon and the American division of Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of the new class of ships.
“They were going and really doing a good job, and the generals, you know, the Biden admirals and generals, they started playing around and tinkering and changing the design, and this, you know, that costs. That costs a lot of money,” Trump stated, according to a transcript posted on Hewitt’s website.
Concerns Over Design Changes
Trump elaborated on the changes made to the ship’s design, claiming, “But the generals or the admirals went in and they said, oh, why don’t we make it a little bit wider? Why don’t we do this? Why don’t we do that? It was designed specifically for speed and other things. When you start making it wider, you start making it slower.” He insisted that the Pentagon should have proceeded with the original design without modifications.
“Changes are always being made, and they think they’re smart,” Trump continued. “Unfortunately, in many cases, they’re not smart, and they take something and make it worse for a lot more money. That’s what they do. I mean, they spend more money to make it worse.”
Support for Navy Secretary Nominee
In the interview, Trump also praised his nominee for Navy Secretary, John Phelan, describing him as a “successful business person.” During Trump’s first term, he demonstrated a keen interest in military contracts and initiatives, including the modernization of the presidential aircraft known as Air Force 1.
Fleet Requirements and Future Plans
Several of Trump’s allies in Congress, including Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, utilized his first administration to mandate that the US Navy maintain a fleet of 355 warships—a target that remains unfulfilled.
Trump hinted at plans to grow the Navy’s fleet size rapidly, stating, “We’re going to be announcing some things that are going to be very good having to do with the Navy. We need ships. We have to get ships. And you know, everybody said, oh, we’ll build them. We may have to go to others, bid them out, and it’s okay to do that. We’ll bid them out until we get ourselves ready.”