1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

With near incredulity, I take pen in hand to urge you to oppose any funding for the proposed Trump-class battleship program announced by Trump. This program represents a strategic mistake that would waste billions of taxpayer dollars on obsolete technology while undermining our actual naval capabilities. Defense experts across the political spectrum have dismissed this proposal as fundamentally flawed and it’s obviously incapable of being built. The cost alone should disqualify this program. By estimates, a single battleship of any design for the size proposed, could cost upward of $8 billion, plus additional crew and maintenance expenses. In the real world of naval construction, The Navy's Zumwalt-class destroyers were reduced from 32 ships to just three due to spiraling costs, and the Constellation-class frigate was recently canceled entirely due to budget overruns. Our military needs modern capabilities, not wasteful prestige projects. Send the message: Reject this project and instead support investments in proven technologies that enhance our actual naval readiness. Thank you.