Trump orders Navy to scrap electromagnetic catapults and return to steam on future aircraft carriers

The memorandum

On August 13, 2026, President Donald Trump signed a presidential national security memorandum ordering the Pentagon and the Navy to present, within 60 days, a plan to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) on future aircraft carriers with conventional steam and hydraulic catapults. The order also directs the replacement of electromagnetic weapon elevators with hydraulic systems. Trump described the older technology as "proven" and "reliable," arguing in the memorandum that excessive complexity in naval designs has produced delays, cost overruns, and insufficient industrial capacity. The document describes a "stagnant naval industrial base" that makes warship construction and repair slower and more expensive, and calls for privileging technologies considered "proven, reliable, and affordable."

Which ships are affected

The first carrier affected by the decision would be the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), the fourth ship in the Gerald R. Ford class, scheduled for delivery in 2034. EMALS is already installed on the lead ship of the class, the USS Gerald Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world. Two other Ford-class carriers, the USS Kennedy and the Enterprise, are expected to enter service before the Doris Miller and would also be equipped with EMALS. The memorandum therefore targets the Doris Miller and all subsequently planned carriers. According to the US Naval Air Systems Command (Navair), EMALS was designed to allow the Navy to launch all current and future embarked air platforms, from light drones to heavy attack fighters.

Cost and operational concerns

Bryan Clark, a researcher at the Hudson Institute, told the Wall Street Journal that the switch could cost billions of dollars. Steam catapults require more crew to operate and maintain than EMALS. According to Clark, the Gerald R. Ford requires 500 fewer sailors and costs approximately $100 million less per year to operate than a Nimitz-class vessel (about €86 million). Steam infrastructure on newer carriers has been modified or no longer exists, as steam on older vessels also powered fresh water production and galley equipment. The Navy developed EMALS specifically to replace the older C-13 steam catapults, aiming to reduce personnel and maintenance, increase reliability, and allow more precise control of launch speed.

Criticism from lawmakers and industry

Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat, former Navy fighter pilot and astronaut, accused Trump of interfering in military matters in a post on X.

“I have launched off aircraft carriers hundreds of times, I have a master's in aeronautical engineering, I am a test pilot, and even I would not presume to tell the Navy how to design certain systems on their ships.”

General Atomics, the company building the electromagnetic catapults for the USS Doris Miller, called for "careful reconsideration" and warned that the change could harm readiness, national security, and the technological edge of the United States.

Trump's long-standing opposition and international context

Trump has criticized EMALS since 2017, when he told Time magazine the system was "no good" and lacked the power of steam catapults, saying the Navy should return to "goddamn steam." At a conference in Pennsylvania in July 2026, he said the electromagnetic catapults were "nowhere near as good, too complex." The memorandum comes as the armed forces seek congressional funding and the Navy struggles to recruit enough sailors. Recent conflicts, including the war in Iran, exposed difficulties from aging ships and long delivery delays, with reports of unacceptable conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. China has installed electromagnetic catapults on its newest carrier, and France plans to equip its next carrier, the France Libre (succeeding the Charles de Gaulle in 2038), with electromagnetic systems supplied by General Atomics.