Carrier swap and steam catapults mark Navy strain amid Iran ops

President Trump has directed the Pentagon to develop plans for replacing the Navy’s electromagnetic aircraft launch systems with traditional steam catapults on the Ford-class of aircraft carriers, according to a national security memorandum issued Thursday. The order specifically targets the USS Doris Miller, the fourth ship in the class now under construction, and calls for hydraulic weapons elevators to replace the advanced electromagnetic versions currently planned.

The directive gives Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy officials 60 days to outline timelines, required resources and estimated costs for the changes. It does not require immediate alterations to carriers already in service, but it marks the first formal step toward reversing a technology the Navy has spent years installing and testing. The electromagnetic system, known as EMALS, was designed to reduce maintenance demands and allow more flexible launch operations compared with the steam-powered catapults used on older Nimitz-class carriers.

Trump has criticized EMALS repeatedly since at least 2017, describing it in interviews and public remarks as underpowered and unreliable. Those complaints have persisted through his current term, even as the Navy has reported gradual improvements in system performance on the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS John F. Kennedy. Navy leaders have argued that reverting to steam would require additional crew members for operation and upkeep, at a time when the service is already struggling to meet recruiting goals and keep ships fully staffed.

The shift comes amid broader pressures on naval resources. The USS Abraham Lincoln has now spent more than nine months continuously at sea supporting operations in the Middle East, prompting reports of mental health strains and supply shortages aboard the ship. Democratic lawmakers have sought additional oversight from the Pentagon on crew conditions, while the administration has said it can sustain a blockade of Iranian ports indefinitely. The USS George Washington is now heading toward the region to relieve the Lincoln, underscoring the demands placed on a limited number of available carriers.

Reverting to steam catapults on future Ford-class ships would likely add billions of dollars in redesign and construction expenses, according to defense analysts who have tracked the program. The change would also require adjustments to the ships’ power and steam-generation systems, potentially affecting other capabilities. Supporters of the move argue that the older technology has a longer track record of reliability under combat conditions, while critics within the Navy and Congress contend that abandoning EMALS discards years of investment in a system meant to support higher sortie rates and reduced maintenance over the life of the ship.

The memorandum also directs a broader review of maritime industrial capacity, including efforts to expand commercial shipbuilding and workforce development. Those elements align with long-standing administration goals to strengthen the domestic defense industrial base, though details on funding and timelines remain to be determined in the 60-day planning process.