President Donald Trump has signed a national security memorandum ordering the U.S. Navy to strip modern electromagnetic launch systems off its newest aircraft carriers and return to traditional steam catapults. If you have followed defense policy over the last decade, this directive won't come as a shock. Trump has complained about the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, since his first term in office, frequently arguing that digital technology is overly complex and unreliable.
The new mandate targets future Gerald R. Ford-class carriers, beginning specifically with the USS Doris Miller. It gives Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao sixty days to formulate a transition plan. Critics point out that this abrupt design pivot will cost billions of dollars, introduce massive integration risks, and throw active shipyards into chaos. Yet, the White House remains entirely unconvinced by modern tech upgrades. Meanwhile, you can read other stories here: Why The Us Naval Blockade In The Strait Of Hormuz Is Changing Global Energy Forever.
The Engineering Battle Over EMALS
For years, military planners championed EMALS as the future of naval aviation. Built by General Atomics, the electromagnetic system was designed to offer smoother acceleration, lighter weight, and the capacity to launch a wider variety of aircraft weights compared to old steam pipes.
Reality proved a bit more complicated. The system faced persistent technical hiccups during testing phases, drawing sharp ire from commanders and the Commander-in-Chief alike. Trump's core argument relies on anecdotal complaints from sailors who claim that troubleshooting digital architecture requires calling in outside civilian engineers, whereas traditional steam setups can be repaired using standard mechanical tools. To explore the full picture, we recommend the detailed report by BBC News.
Defense contractors push back hard against this narrative. General Atomics noted publicly that work on the USS Doris Miller is already nearly fifty percent complete. Ripping out built-in magnetic tracks and advanced weapons elevators to drop in heavy steam infrastructure mid-construction will cause severe schedule delays and balloon expenses.
The Personnel Crunch and Operational Realities
Beyond engineering debates, the Navy faces a brutal recruitment and retention climate. Modern warships already struggle to fill tens of thousands of vacant posts.
Reverting to steam catapults introduces a distinct manpower penalty. Steam systems require significantly more sailors in the crew to operate and maintain safely than automated electromagnetic alternatives. Adding extra personnel requirements onto a fleet already grappling with deep staffing shortages creates a compounding operational risk.
At the same time, global competitors like China continue pushing forward with advanced electromagnetic launch technologies on their own modern flat-tops. Reverting to mid-century tech while rival superpowers upgrade their fleets leaves military analysts worried about a future capability gap.
What Happens Next in the Shipyards
The Pentagon has just two months to deliver its formal proposal on how to execute the mandate. Defense officials will have to figure out how to modify structural blueprints at Newport News Shipbuilding without entirely derailing the construction timeline for the nation's next class of supercarriers.
Expect fierce pushback from lawmakers and defense industry leaders who view the order as an expensive step backward. Whether the Navy can quietly minimize the disruption or whether taxpayers will foot a multi-billion dollar bill for a presidential preference remains the defining question for the defense sector this year.
