Key Points
Trump signed memorandum on August 13 ordering steam catapult retrofit on USS Doris Miller.
Pentagon has 60 days to submit redesign plans with timelines and costs.
Change likely costs billions and requires more sailors to operate than modern systems.
China and France use electromagnetic catapults on their newest carriers.
President Donald Trump has ordered the US Navy to scrap its advanced electromagnetic catapult system and revert to steam-powered alternatives on the USS Doris Miller, a Ford-class aircraft carrier. Trump signed a national security memorandum on Thursday directing Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to submit redesign plans within 60 days. The move fulfils a complaint Trump has repeated since 2017, when he claimed the modern system was too complex and expensive.
What Trump ordered and when
Trump’s memorandum, titled “Rebuilding the United States Navy and America’s Shipbuilding Industrial Base,” directs the Pentagon to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Weapons Elevators with steam and hydraulic systems on the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81). The Pentagon has 60 days to produce a detailed plan including timelines and costs. The USS Doris Miller is already two years behind schedule. Three other Ford-class carriers—USS Gerald R. Ford, USS John F. Kennedy, and USS Enterprise—will remain unchanged.
Why Trump has pushed this for nine years
Trump first criticised the electromagnetic system in a 2017 Time magazine interview, claiming it was overly complex and cost hundreds of millions more than steam alternatives. He recounted a conversation with an unnamed Navy officer, saying the digital system “sounded bad” and required “Albert Einstein to figure it out.” Trump has retold this story, with variations, every year since 2017 at rallies, fundraisers, and during a 2018 Thanksgiving call with the USS Ronald Reagan commanding officer.
The costs and operational risks
The redesign will likely cost billions of pounds and require significantly more sailors to operate and maintain than modern systems. General Atomics, which manufactures EMALS, warned that changing course with 50% of production complete would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks. The Navy is already struggling to fill thousands of vacant posts. Meanwhile, China’s newest carriers and France’s planned carrier both employ electromagnetic systems, giving them technological advantages.
Industry and strategic concerns
General Atomics stated the decision “warrants careful reconsideration” and warned it could have “broader implications for carrier readiness, national security, and U.S. technological superiority.” The memorandum also addresses broader shipbuilding issues, citing cost growth, delays, and cancellations across six major Navy programmes. Trump has claimed the electromagnetic system lacks power compared to steam catapults, though no independent military analysis supports this assertion.
Final Thoughts
Trump’s order reverses a decade of naval modernisation to fulfil a personal preference, potentially costing billions and weakening US carrier capability relative to China and France. The Pentagon now has 60 days to produce a redesign plan for a ship already two years behind schedule.
FAQs
The Pentagon has 60 days from the memorandum’s signing on August 13 to submit detailed plans including timelines and resourcing requirements for the conversion.
Only the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) will be redesigned. The USS Gerald R. Ford, USS John F. Kennedy, and USS Enterprise will keep their electromagnetic systems.
Trump claims the electromagnetic system is too complex and expensive. He has cited a 2017 conversation with a Navy officer, saying digital technology costs hundreds of millions more and lacks power.
General Atomics warned that changing course with 50% of production complete would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks to the vessel’s construction.
Disclaimer:
The content shared by Meyka AI PTY LTD is solely for research and informational purposes. Meyka is not a financial advisory service, and the information provided should not be considered investment or trading advice.
About Author
Danny Kontos
Co FounderDanny Kontos has been a stock investor since 2007 and co-founded Meyka in 2023. He keeps a small, focused portfolio and only moves when the numbers are hard to argue with. He has waited years on a single position before. Before Meyka, he ran a web hosting company and a mortgage lending platform, so he knows what a well-run business actually looks like under the hood. This article did not come from a news cycle. It came from someone who has been watching this space for a long time.
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