Carrier swap and steam catapults mark Navy strain amid Iran ops

President Trump has directed the Navy to develop plans for installing steam-powered catapults on future Ford-class aircraft carriers, beginning with the USS Doris Miller now under construction. A national security memorandum issued Thursday instructs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deliver a detailed assessment within 60 days on replacing the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System with traditional steam technology and substituting hydraulic weapons elevators for the advanced versions currently planned.

The directive targets only vessels not yet completed and does not require immediate alterations to carriers already in service. Officials must outline timelines, required resources, and implementation steps for the changes. Trump has criticized the electromagnetic system since at least 2017, arguing it lacks the reliability and power of proven steam catapults used on earlier carriers.

The decision arrives amid extended carrier deployments supporting operations against Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln has now spent more than 260 consecutive days at sea, a record that has prompted reports of mental health strains and supply shortages among its crew. Several Democratic members of Congress have sought further Pentagon reviews of conditions aboard the ship. Defense officials have described those accounts as overstated while noting the demands placed on personnel and equipment during the mission.

The USS George Washington has departed the Asia-Pacific region and is moving toward the Middle East to provide relief. The Navy has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, with administration statements indicating the posture can continue as needed. These operations have highlighted broader challenges in sustaining high-tempo carrier presence, including difficulties in manning ships and maintaining complex systems under prolonged stress.

Steam catapults have operated reliably across decades of carrier service, requiring established maintenance procedures and parts that are widely available. The electromagnetic system, by contrast, has required specialized training and components that remain in shorter supply. Shifting future construction toward the older design could reduce long-term dependency on unproven technology while aligning with existing fleet support infrastructure.

The memorandum also directs attention to expanding overall shipbuilding capacity and workforce development, areas where Navy leaders have identified persistent shortfalls. Returning to steam systems on new carriers would leverage decades of operational data rather than continuing with a launch mechanism that has yet to demonstrate consistent advantages in real-world conditions.