Trump Orders Navy to Replace Electromagnetic Jet Catapults With Steam System/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump ordered the Navy to develop plans for replacing advanced electromagnetic systems on future Ford-class aircraft carriers with older technology. The USS Doris Miller would be the first carrier redesigned with steam catapults, even though work on its launch and arresting systems is already halfway complete. The mandate could add billions in costs, cause delays and require more sailors as the Navy struggles with approximately 20,000 vacant fleet positions.
Quick Look
- Trump issued the directive Thursday.
- The Pentagon and Navy must submit plans within two months.
- The order targets the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, known as EMALS.
- Trump also wants electromagnetic weapons elevators replaced.
- The USS Doris Miller would be the first Ford-class carrier affected.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford, USS John F. Kennedy and USS Enterprise would remain unchanged.
- General Atomics says work on the Doris Miller’s catapults and arresting gear is halfway finished.
- The company warned of significant costs, delays and integration risks.
- EMALS requires about two operators, compared with roughly a dozen for steam catapults.
- The Navy began the year with approximately 20,000 unfilled fleet positions.
- China uses electromagnetic catapults, and France plans to install them on its next carrier.
- Congress is considering major defense and Iran war funding proposals.
Deep Look
Trump orders Navy to return to steam catapults
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to develop plans to replace the advanced system used to launch aircraft from its newest class of carriers with older steam-powered catapults.
The directive issued targets the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, commonly known as EMALS, which uses magnetic power to accelerate fighter jets from a carrier deck.
Trump has criticized the technology for years and repeatedly expressed a preference for steam catapults.
The transition would likely cost billions of dollars and install a system that requires more sailors to operate and is more difficult to maintain.
Pentagon must present plans within two months
Trump’s memorandum gives the Pentagon and the Navy two months to present plans for removing EMALS.
The directive also says the Ford-class carriers’ electromagnetic weapons elevators should be replaced with an older system.
The mandate comes while the military is seeking congressional funding for equipment and the war with Iran. It also arrives as the Navy continues struggling to place enough sailors aboard its ships.
Trump has criticized EMALS since 2017
Trump’s public opposition to electromagnetic catapults dates to at least 2017, during his first presidential term.
In an interview with Time magazine that year, he described the system as “not good” and said it “doesn’t have the power” of steam catapults.
“You’re going to goddamned steam,” Trump said at the time.
He has repeatedly returned to the subject during rallies and other public appearances.
China and France embrace electromagnetic systems
Trump is seeking to reverse the Navy’s adoption of electromagnetic launch technology as other military powers move toward it.
China’s newest aircraft carriers use electromagnetic catapults. France has also said it plans to install the technology aboard its future carrier.
The systems are designed to launch aircraft more efficiently while requiring less space, maintenance and staffing than traditional steam equipment.
USS Doris Miller would receive changes first
Trump’s memorandum directs the Navy to make the future USS Doris Miller the first Ford-class carrier constructed with the ordered changes.
The USS Gerald R. Ford would remain untouched, as would the forthcoming USS John F. Kennedy and USS Enterprise.
Redesigning the Doris Miller to accommodate steam catapults and different weapons elevators could be a complex undertaking because the carrier’s design has already been finalized and construction has advanced.
Manufacturer urges administration to reconsider
General Atomics, the company that manufactures EMALS, told The Associated Press that the decision to abandon the system on the USS Doris Miller “warrants careful reconsideration.”
The company said construction involving the carrier’s catapults and arresting gear was already 50% complete.
General Atomics warned that “changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks.”
The concerns include redesigning the ship, replacing equipment already under construction and integrating a different launch system into an established carrier design.
Directive highlights dangers of design changes
Trump’s memorandum acknowledged that repeated Navy design revisions have contributed to broader shipbuilding problems.
It cited constant changes “which have resulted in cost growth, delays, and cancellations.”
The decision to alter the Doris Miller’s finalized design could itself create the same problems identified in the directive.
Shipbuilding programs frequently face significant delays and added expenses when major systems are changed after construction has begun.
Congress weighs military and war funding
The order comes as Congress considers spending bills the Trump administration says are needed to finance the Pentagon and sustain military operations against Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated last month that the cost of the Iran war had climbed to $37.5 billion.
Republicans prepared a $95 billion package covering the conflict, broader military needs and other White House priorities.
Hegseth called the supplemental war package an “urgent, necessary” infusion of funding. He also described Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget as a generational investment in the U.S. military.
The House narrowly approved both measures, but the Senate must still act after returning in September.
EMALS requires fewer sailors
The electromagnetic system can launch aircraft at higher speeds while requiring fewer personnel and occupying less space aboard an aircraft carrier.
Aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, EMALS reduced the number of sailors required to operate a catapult from approximately 12 to two.
Returning to steam catapults would therefore increase staffing requirements aboard future carriers.
Navy struggles to fill shipboard positions
The additional personnel demands would come as the Navy faces a persistent shortage of sailors assigned to warships.
Although recruiting improved during the previous year, the service has struggled to convert that success into fully staffed positions across the fleet.
At the start of 2026, the Navy had approximately 20,000 unfilled posts aboard its ships.
Adopting a launch system requiring more sailors could intensify those staffing pressures.
Navy recently promoted EMALS performance
The Navy publicly praised the electromagnetic system as recently as February.
In a press release, the service said EMALS allowed the USS Gerald R. Ford to launch and recover aircraft at a faster rate than older Nimitz-class carriers.
The Navy’s assessment highlighted the operational advantages that electromagnetic launch and arresting systems were designed to provide.
Trump’s new directive now requires military officials to develop a plan for reversing that technological transition on future carriers, beginning with the partially constructed USS Doris Miller.
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