Trump’s Obsession With Steam Catapults Threatens U.S. Aircraft Carrier Fleet

The Operational Reality of Electromagnetic Systems

During an 11-month deployment largely centered in the Middle East that concluded in May, the USS Gerald R. Ford completed more than 11,000 aircraft carrier launches utilizing electromagnetic catapults. According to data released by the Navy in February, this performance outpaced traditional Nimitz-class vessels equipped with steam systems, achieving a higher sortie generation rate.

Bryan Clark, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute, noted in a recent essay published by The Washington Post that the system’s primary advantages extend well beyond raw launch speed. Clark served as a former Navy officer, Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations, and Director of his Commander’s Action Group.

“The biggest benefit of the electromagnetic catapults are their lower cost and lighter personnel requirements,” Clark wrote. Because the Ford operates as an all-electric ship outside of its engine room, it requires a crew roughly 500 sailors smaller than its predecessors. Older carriers relied on steam infrastructure for auxiliary functions including water purification and cooking equipment, while steam catapults historically demanded about 10 additional sailors per catapult due to complex mechanical failure modes.

The Presidential Directive and the Cost of Retrofitting

The debate shifted from policy commentary to official procedure following an August 13 Presidential Memorandum. The order mandates that the Secretary of War, in consultation with the Secretary of the Navy, submit a formal plan detailing measures to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Weapons Elevators with legacy steam and hydraulic systems for CVN-81.

Implementing this rollback on a vessel already under construction carries severe financial and operational penalties. Clark told CNN that modifying the USS Doris Miller would likely cost “into the billions” of dollars and postpone the carrier’s entry into service—initially slated for roughly 2034—until the end of the next decade.

Furthermore, the industrial base for steam propulsion has largely dissolved. “Nobody builds them anymore,” Clark told CNN, noting that restarting domestic production lines for steam catapults would take years and incur tens of millions of dollars in startup expenses.

Origins of the Steam Preference and Design Debates

The push to return to legacy technology stems from sustained skepticism voiced by Trump, who first questioned the reliability of electric launch systems during a March 2, 2017 tour of the then-under-construction USS Gerald R. Ford at the Newport News shipyard in Virginia. In subsequent public appearances, including a May 2017 interview with Time Magazine and a November 2023 campaign rally in Houston, Texas, Trump recounted conversations with carrier flight deck personnel who expressed a preference for steam mechanics.

“Steam is better, sir. We can fix it with a hammer and a blowtorch,” Trump recalled an experienced sailor telling him, contrasting it with the perceived complexity of digital systems. Naval architects and former Defense Department officials, however, designed the Ford class with an aft-shifted island superstructure specifically to expand usable flight deck space, maximizing the movement and staging of modern jet fighters.

Beyond propulsion decisions, internal Navy reviews are reportedly studying potential modifications to the vessel’s namesake. Authorized on January 20, 2020, during an MLK Day ceremony hosted by then-Acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly, CVN-81 honors Doris “Dorie” Miller, an African-American Mess Attendant Third Class awarded the Navy Cross for heroism during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Recent reports indicate that alternative designations, including the name of Trump, remain under evaluation by senior staff.

The Broader Strategic Horizon

Proponents of advanced naval engineering argue that reversing course on nuclear-powered carriers undermines broader Pentagon objectives centered on artificial intelligence and autonomous warfare integration.

“Steam power was cutting-edge technology in the 19th century,” Clark concluded in his Washington Post analysis. “It is the wrong choice for a Pentagon that is leaning into artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. The Navy should stay the course with electromagnetic catapults to keep the carrier fleet strong and deliver more firepower.” As the executive branch reviews the mandated transition timeline, the ultimate fate of the Navy’s carrier fleet rests on whether acquisition policy can reconcile political nostalgia with the technological demands of modern maritime defense.