President Trump on Monday announced plans for a new “Trump class” of battleships, marking the start of an expanded naval buildup and signalling increased scrutiny of defence contractors over production delays and cost overruns.

The announcement represents the latest example of the president rebranding an aspect of the federal government in his image. Trump – who has previously criticised the appearance of US warships – 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,” Trump said.

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. Trump downplayed China’s influence on the decision, saying the expansion was “a counter to everybody.”

He said the naval expansion would also be paired with renewed pressure on defence contractors to speed up production and rein in costs. He said he will meet with major defence 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 F-35s and other jets languishes, Trump said.

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

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

• State Department says removal of ambassadors is standard.
• Foreign service association calls it “institutional sabotage”.
• Lawmaker says move damages US leadership.

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 politicisation 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 Gamer’s comments.

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,” Shaheen posted on X. “This makes America less safe, less strong and less prosperous.”

• Agartala assistant mission services also halted.
• Suspension remains until further official notice.
• Dhaka says closures due to “unavoidable circumstances”.
  

Bangladesh has suspended consular services and visa operations at its High Commission in India’s New Delhi, following a protest which Dhaka described as “unjustifiable” and “highly regrettable”.

In addition to suspending services at its High Commission in New Delhi, Bangladesh has also stopped consular services at the Assistant High Commission in Agartala, according to Bangladesh’s Dhaka Tribune.

The services will remain suspended until further notice by the Bangladeshi officials, the publication reported.

India’s ANI also reported a formal notice posted at the High Commission in Delhi regarding the closure.

“Due to unavoidable circumstances, all consular and visa services at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi have been temporarily suspended until further notice,” the publication quoted the notice as saying.

The closure of the consular services comes following a protest held outside the Bangladesh HC under the banner of “Akhand Hindu Rashtra Sena”, which New Delhi said was against the killing of Dipu Chandra Das and for the protection of minorities in Bangladesh.

Das, a garment factory worker, was beaten to death on December 18 in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh, on allegations of blasphemy, after which his body was also set ablaze, reported Prothom Alo.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected India’s explanation, saying that the protest cannot be labelled “misleading propaganda”.

“The miscreants were allowed to carry out their activities right outside the perimeters of the HC, creating panic among the personnel inside the complex,” said Bangladesh’s foreign office.

Relations between the two nations worsened after the killing of prominent Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

Hadi, 32, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka while launching his campaign for the elections. He was a spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha, or Platform for Revolution, and participated in the protests that overthrew Hasina.

Following his death, mobs attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chittagong, as well as setting fire to multiple newspapers’ outlets in Dhaka, accusing them of favouring India, where Bangladesh’s ousted PM Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka in the wake of the 2024 uprising.