Plans for new US battleships aimed at deterring China face scrutiny regarding vulnerability to missiles, high operational costs, and the US industrial capacity for construction. Analysts question their effectiveness and feasibility.

US plans to build up to 15 battleships designed to serve as a “strike-centric arsenal ship” to deter China have been called into question. Analysts said the ships would not only be vulnerable to anti-ship missiles, but would also be expensive to operate and maintain, and questioned whether the United States had the industrial capacity to build the vessels. On Monday, the US Navy outlined its shipbuilding plan for the next three decades, including a detailed layout for what the White House has...