You can always count on Donald Trump to wage a multi-year grudge match against modern military engineering. His latest target isn't a rival foreign power or a budget subcommittee. It is the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, better known as EMALS.
Trump just signed a directive forcing the U.S. Navy and the Pentagon to rip out advanced electrical catapults and electromagnetic weapons elevators, demanding a return to old-school steam and hydraulic power. The initial mandate targets the upcoming Ford-class aircraft carrier, the USS Doris Miller, leaving its predecessors like the USS Gerald R. Ford untouched for now.
If you've followed military shipbuilding over the last decade, you know this fight has been brewing since 2017. Trump famously complained that digital, high-tech systems require "Albert Einstein" to figure out, preferring the reliable brute force of traditional steam.
The Battle Between EMALS and Steam
On paper, EMALS is a massive technological leap forward. Built by General Atomics, the system uses stored kinetic energy and solid-state electrical power conversion to launch fighter jets off carrier decks.
The Navy adopted the technology for clear operational reasons. Electromagnetic catapults offer smoother acceleration, precise control over launch speeds, and the ability to launch a wider variety of aircraft—from heavy strike fighters down to lightweight uncrewed aerial vehicles. They also drastically cut down manpower. Operating a traditional steam catapult system requires about a dozen sailors on deck, whereas EMALS shrinks that crew down to just two.
So why push backward? Trump's skepticism stems from a deep-seated distrust of over-engineered digital complexity. His anecdotes often feature deck-edge technicians telling him that steam can be fixed with a hammer and a blowtorch, while electronic failures demand outside engineering geniuses.
The Massive Price Tag of Nostalgia
Reverting a modern warship mid-production is not a simple weekend DIY project. General Atomics has already pointed out that construction on the USS Doris Miller's catapult and arresting gear systems is roughly halfway done. Tearing all of that out to retrofit steam infrastructure introduces massive financial, scheduling, and integration risks.
Critics of the order point out that the financial toll will likely run into billions of dollars. Furthermore, reverting to steam introduces a workforce paradox. The U.S. Navy is currently grappling with severe recruitment and retention shortages, struggling to fill thousands of open posts across the fleet. Trading a high-efficiency system that needs fewer sailors for a labor-intensive legacy system seems counterintuitive when manpower is tight.
Geopolitical Realities
While the White House digs in its heels on steam power, global rivals are moving in the exact opposite direction. China's newest and most advanced aircraft carriers rely entirely on electromagnetic catapult systems. France has also committed to using electromagnetic launch technology for its next-generation aircraft carrier program.
Military analysts worry that ditching EMALS on future hulls creates a technological divergence that could cede a competitive edge in sortie rates and deployment flexibility.
The Pentagon has just two months to draft the implementation plan requested by the White House. Whether Congress and military leaders will find a way to quietly dilute the mandate or if the Navy will actually start welding steam pipes back into its multi-billion-dollar supercarriers remains to be seen. One thing is certain: the argument over how America launches jets into the sky is far from settled.
