PALM BEACH, Florida — US President Donald J. Trump on Monday announced plans for a new “Trump class” of battleships, marking the start of an expanded naval buildup and signaling increased scrutiny of defense contractors over production delays and cost overruns.

Mr. Trump said the new battleships would be larger, faster and “100 times more powerful” than any previously built, forming the centerpiece of what he called an expanded “Golden Fleet” aimed at cementing US naval dominance.

The program will begin with two vessels and is expected to grow to between 20 and 25 ships, Mr. Trump said. The first of the class will be christened the USS Defiant.

The announcement represents the latest example of the President rebranding an aspect of the federal government in his image. Mr. Trump, who has previously criticized the appearance of US warships, said he will be personally involved in the designs.

He said the ships will weigh more than 30,000 tons, larger than current destroyers, and be equipped with the latest technology, including artificial intelligence and directed energy lasers.

“We haven’t built a battleship since 1994. These cutting-edge vessels will be some of the most lethal surface warfare ships… other than our submarines,” Mr. Trump said.

In addition to carrying conventional naval guns, the new battleships will be equipped with nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missiles, US Navy Secretary John Phelan said, appearing with Mr. Trump in Florida for the announcement.

Some US officials have warned that a failure to build new battleships in recent years has handed an advantage to economic and military rival China. Mr. Trump downplayed China’s influence on the decision, saying the expansion was “a counter to everybody.”

DELAYS AND OVERRUNS
He said the naval expansion would be paired with renewed pressure on defense contractors to speed up production and rein in costs. He said he will meet with major defense firms next week to address delays and overruns, and to examine whether executive compensation, stock buybacks and dividends are contributing to missed production targets.

“We don’t want to have executives making $50 million a year, issuing big dividends to everybody, and also doing buybacks” while production of F35s and other jets languish, Mr. Trump said.

Reuters reported last week that the administration was planning an executive order to limit dividends, buybacks and executive pay for defense contractors whose projects are over budget and delayed.

Mr. Trump and the Pentagon have been complaining about the expensive, slow-moving and entrenched nature of the defense industry, promising dramatic changes that would make the production of war equipment more nimble.

Besides the new battleship class, the expanded fleet envisions increasing numbers of other war vessels, including introduction of a new, smaller class of frigates previously announced by the Navy, Mr. Trump said. — Reuters

BEIJING — The top priority for Thailand and Cambodia is to agree to a ceasefire and stop fighting as soon as possible resume dialogue, and resolve their border disputes peacefully, a special Chinese envoy to the region said.

For three weeks, Thailand and Cambodia have engaged in daily exchanges of rockets and artillery along their 817 kilometer (508 miles) land border, after a truce first brokered by Malaysia as ASEAN chair and US President Donald Trump collapsed.

China has since joined the top diplomats of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in urging both countries to exercise restraint and take steps to halt fighting.

China supports ASEAN’s mediation efforts and is willing to once again create conditions and provide a platform for dialogue and negotiations between the two sides, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday, citing its Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Deng Xijun.

Mr. Deng recently travelled to the two countries, meeting with their respective prime ministers and other senior government officials, as part of China’s shuttle diplomacy.

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to hold a meeting on Wednesday of defense officials aimed at resuming the ceasefire, a move welcomed by ASEAN.

China, which calls itself a “friend” and “close neighbor” to both Cambodia and Thailand, has been seeking to facilitate mediation. It says it has been promoting a resolution to the conflict “in its own way”, without referring to the Mr. Trump ceasefire deal.

Mr. Trump claimed that the Thai-Cambodian conflict was one of the eight wars that he had stopped around the world, even as the fighting broke out again.

“In a region marked by complex historical sensitivities, few actors can claim to have the trust and willingness necessary to sustain mediation efforts as China, whose balanced and constructive approach provides a stable impetus for de-escalation of the tensions, as it did in helping broker reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year,” state-run China Daily wrote in an editorial on Monday. — Reuters

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the opening ceremonies of hotels in a tourist zone of the country with his daughter Ju Ae, as he sought to highlight the country’s economic progress before a key party congress due to take place early next year.

Five hotels opened on Saturday and Sunday in North Korea’s Samjiyon tourist zone, in the northeast part of the Korean peninsula near the border with China, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

Mr. Kim, who attended the ceremonies on Saturday, toured the upmarket hotels with Ju Ae, state media photographs showed.

Some analysts view Mr. Kim’s teenage daughter as the frontrunner to become the country’s next leader.

Mr. Kim said the hotels were “clear proof of the rising status of our people and the development potential of our country,” according to KCNA.

The North Korean leader has attended multiple opening ceremonies of facilities in the past month, including three regional factory openings last week alone.

North Korea is expected to hold its first party congress in five years in early 2026, where a new development plan for the next five years is expected to be unveiled. State media such as Rodong Sinmun, have been urging an all-out public effort to complete major projects ahead of the gathering. — Reuters

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 ambassadors and other senior career diplomats to ensure embassies reflect its “America First” priorities, a move critics said would weaken US credibility abroad.

The State Department declined to provide a list of the diplomats being recalled. A senior department official said on Monday the move was “a standard process in any administration” but critics said that was not so.

“An ambassador is a personal representative of the president, and it is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Nearly 30 senior diplomats were among those ordered back to Washington, people familiar with the matter said.

They were posted to smaller countries where the top US representative has traditionally been from the Foreign Service, which is made up of career officials not aligned with a political party, the people said.

The recalled diplomats were encouraged to find new roles in the State Department, a second US official said.

The American Foreign Service Association representing foreign service officers said it was working to confirm which members were recalled after some reported being notified by phone with no explanation – a process its spokesperson called “highly irregular.”

“Abrupt, unexplained recalls reflect the same pattern of institutional sabotage and politicization our survey data shows is already harming morale, effectiveness, and US credibility abroad,” spokesperson Nikki Gamer said in an email.

The State Department declined to respond to Ms. Gamer’s comments.

Politico reported on Friday that two dozen ambassadors were being told to leave their posts, citing a State Department official.

Mr. Trump has sought to place loyalists in senior roles since starting his second term after encountering resistance during his first term advancing his foreign policy priorities within the US national security establishment.

Jeanne Shaheen, ranking Democrat on the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, assailed the Republican administration’s removal of the diplomats while about 80 ambassadorial posts remain vacant.

“President Trump is giving away US leadership to China and Russia by removing qualified career Ambassadors who serve faithfully no matter who’s in power,” Ms. Shaheen posted on X. “This makes America less safe, less strong and less prosperous.” — Reuters