Trump Issues Dual Defense Directives: Drone Import Tariffs and Return to Steam-Powered Carrier Catapults

President Donald Trump will issue two proclamations on Aug 13. One imposes steep import duties on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and components; the other directs the U.S. Navy to replace the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) on the forthcoming USS Doris Miller with traditional steam catapults. Both are presented as national-security measures.

The Independent

• The administration says domestic production cannot yet meet security-critical demand.

The Hill

• Carrier launch system: Since EMALS debuted on the USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy has highlighted its lower lifecycle cost and reduced crew needs. Trump has called the system “not good” and “too complex,” favoring steam catapults used on Nimitz-class carriers.

CNN

• Tariff structure:

TND - The National Desk

• 100 % ad valorem duty on “particularly sensitive” drones—those over 55 lb (? 25 kg) or with thermal-imaging capability.

TND - The National Desk

• 25 % duty on smaller, less-sensitive drones and components.

ManufacturingDive

• 15 % duty on drones from the EU, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

TND - The National Desk

• 10 % duty on qualifying drones from the UK.

ManufacturingDive

• Implementation timeline: Higher tariffs take effect 21 days after signing; lower-rate duties on non-sensitive components begin 180 days later.

Reuters

• Catapult reversal: The memo requires a Navy plan within 60 days to replace EMALS on the USS Doris Miller, projected to cost “hundreds of millions of dollars,” per the White House.

Reuters

• The White House release says expanding U.S. drone manufacturing will “create new jobs” and safeguard the “defense industrial base.”

CNBC

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will oversee the catapult transition and establish a fifth naval shipyard to increase repair capacity.

ABC News Australia

• Industry risk: General Atomics, maker of EMALS, warned that “with nearly 50 % of production complete, changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks.”

Euronews

• “The Secretary found that import penetration from foreign producers of UAS is substantial and that the United States is too reliant on foreign sources of UAS and UAS components,” — Donald Trump.

Reuters

• “With nearly 50% of production complete, changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks,” — General Atomics.

Reuters

• Timing of the proclamations: Reuters and other outlets say the proclamations were signed on Aug 13, while the date ledger lists the date as “scheduled,” suggesting they are planned rather than completed.

Reuters

• Scope of foreign-shipyard construction: The drone-tariff proclamations list allied economies for reduced rates, but the Navy memo’s language on foreign shipbuilding leaves open how many vessels may ultimately be built abroad.

Breaking Defense

• The tariff schedule will trigger the 100 % and 25 % duties on the dates specified (21 days and 180 days after signing).

Reuters

• The Navy must deliver a detailed plan for the steam-catapult replacement within 60 days, after which the Department of Defense will assess cost implications and impacts on carrier readiness.

CNN

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Breaking Defense

*All statements and figures are drawn directly from the cited source material.*

Reuters