A Broadside Against Battleships

Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate the wisdom of President Trump's proposal for a Golden Fleet of new American "battleships." They question the strategic logic, timelines, cost estimates, and political dynamics behind the proposal. Chris commends USA Hockey for its gold medal performance at the Olympics while Melanie questions Eileen Gu's comments there and Zack expresses appreciation for the Supreme Court's tariff decision.

 

Show Links:

 

• Eli Rosenberg, "Who is US women's hockey star Megan Keller? A BC alum, and more," NBC Connecticut, February 19, 2026.

• Christopher A. Preble and Celia Clark, "The Brooklyn Navy Yard revived | 12 | A defense conversion case study," 2016.

• Sam Mercoliagno, X post, February 22, 2026.

• Ben Jensen, "Why the Golden Fleet Will Sail," CSIS, January 9, 2026.  

• Fighting Instructions, US Navy, February 9, 2026.  

• Carline Downey, "Alysa Liu Is a Spunky, Gen Z National Treasure and a Force of American Athleticism," National Review, February 21, 2026.

• Sean Gregory, "'I Don't Believe in Limits': How Eileen Gu Became Freestyle Skiing's Biggest Star," Time, January 22, 2026.

• Trent Hone, "Why the U.S. Navy Doesn't Build Battleships Anymore," War on the Rocks, January 12, 2026.

• Mark Cancian, "The Golden Fleet's Battleship Will Never Sail," CSIS, December 23, 2025.

• U.S. Navy, "Webpage currently under construction," accessed February 24, 2026.

• Ellen Nakashima et al., "Tulsi Gabbard's appearances at Fulton County FBI raid raises questions," Washington Post, January 30, 2026

• Zack Cooper, "Asia After America," Foreign Affairs, March/April 2026