Under the fiscal year 2026 defense budget, the United States Navy is set to receive its largest shipbuilding allocation in over two decades, with 19 new battle force ships worth $47.3 billion earmarked for procurement. This dramatic increase from just five vessels in the previous fiscal year represents the most ambitious naval modernization effort since the end of the Cold War, as the Pentagon responds to China’s rapidly expanding maritime capabilities and growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.