President Donald Trump just signed a national security memorandum forcing the U.S. Navy to strip modern electromagnetic launch systems out of future Ford-class aircraft carriers and go back to traditional steam power. If you have followed defense policy over the last decade, you know this battle isn't new. Trump has complained about digital tech on warships since his first term, preferring the mechanical reliability of steam and hydraulics.
Now, it is official policy. The fourth Ford-class carrier, the future USS Doris Miller, is slated to undergo a major redesign to accommodate steam catapults and older-style elevators. For another perspective, consider: this related article.
The Core Conflict Over Carrier Tech
For years, the Pentagon championed the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, known as EMALS, alongside advanced weapons elevators. Built by General Atomics, EMALS uses stored kinetic energy and solid-state electrical power to fling heavy fighter jets off the flight deck.
Proponents argued that electromagnetic tech offered distinct operational advantages. It provides smoother acceleration, handles a wider variety of aircraft weights, and requires fewer sailors to operate than legacy steam systems. On the USS Gerald R. Ford, the lead ship of the class, EMALS cut the required catapult crew down significantly. Similar insight regarding this has been published by The Washington Post.
Trump saw it differently. He frequently recalled a conversation with a veteran deck sailor who quipped that steam systems could be fixed with basic tools, whereas digital glitches required outside engineering help. To Trump, complexity equals vulnerability. His new directive targets not just the catapults, but also the ship's electromagnetic weapons elevators, demanding a return to hydraulic systems.
Financial and Engineering Headaches Ahead
Redesigning a nuclear-powered warship mid-production is brutally difficult. Huntington Ingalls Industries, which builds these multi-billion-dollar vessels at Newport News Shipbuilding, faces steep integration hurdles. Work on the Doris Miller's launching systems was already halfway complete. Tearing out the infrastructure to lay down miles of steam piping and heavy hydraulic lines will trigger massive cost growth and scheduling delays.
Defense analysts point out practical roadblocks. The industrial base hasn't manufactured a new marine steam catapult system in over twenty years. Restarting those specialized supply chains requires substantial upfront capital and time. Furthermore, Ford-class carriers rely on an integrated electrical grid to run everything from onboard cooking equipment to water purification. Restoring steam lines just for the flight deck runs counter to decades of shipboard engineering evolution.
Strategic Realities and Geopolitical Fallout
Critics of the directive argue that stepping backward puts American naval dominance at risk. Competing naval powers like China have aggressively adopted electromagnetic catapult technology for their own next-generation aircraft carriers. Supporters of EMALS note that rapid launch capabilities and higher sortie rates are essential when facing peer adversaries in contested waters.
Naval leaders and industry contractors are now scrambling to draft compliance plans for the Pentagon within the mandated 60-to-120-day window. Whether Congress will fund the extensive refits without trimming other vital defense priorities remains entirely uncertain.
The Navy faces deep staffing shortages alongside a strained fleet. Bringing back steam means training a new generation of sailors on legacy mechanical skills that the service spent decades trying to phase out. The White House wants simplicity and cost containment on the books, but executing this pivot on the world's most advanced warships will test the limits of American shipbuilding.
