Full Breakdown
Trump Orders Return to Steam Catapults and New Shipyard Initiative
8/14/2026, 9:13:02 PM
Core Decision: Steam Catapults Restored on Future Carrier
On August 13, 2026, President Donald Trump signed a national-security memorandum directing the Pentagon to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and electromagnetic weapons elevators with traditional steam catapults and hydraulic elevators on the fourth Ford-class carrier, USS Doris Miller. The memo gives the Navy and the Department of Defense roughly two months to submit a redesign plan. Analysts estimate the change will add hundreds of millions of dollars to the ship’s cost and could push delivery beyond the early-2030s timeline.
Background & Context
Trump has repeatedly praised steam catapults at rallies and aboard carriers such as the USS George Washington. The Ford-class carriers—USS Gerald R. Ford, USS John F. Kennedy, USS Enterprise, and the under-construction Doris Miller—were designed around EMALS to reduce crew size, lower operating costs, and increase launch rates compared with the steam-driven Nimitz-class ships.
Data & Statistics
- Production of EMALS for Doris Miller is about 50 % complete.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford logged 36,863 EMALS launches as of March 2026.
- The Ford-class program costs over $13 billion per ship; Doris Miller is slated for delivery in early 2034.
- EMALS reduces the catapult crew from roughly a dozen sailors to two.
- The memorandum also calls for a fifth public shipyard to expand submarine and carrier repair capacity, addressing a growing backlog.
Official Statements & Responses
- President Trump framed the change as a return to “battle-tested” technology, saying steam and hydraulic systems are “proven, reliable, and affordable.”
- Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, linked the shipyard expansion to the administration’s effort to sustain a $1.5 trillion defense budget and to accommodate “direct foreign investment” in shipbuilding.
- Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, was tasked with delivering a 120-day report on how to bolster carrier and submarine readiness using private-sector partnerships and the new public yard.
- Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, noted the Navy has not purchased a steam catapult in more than 20 years, and re-establishing production lines would require substantial upfront investment.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Seriously, I’m putting out an order. I’m going to sign an executive order. When we build aircraft carriers, it’s steam for the catapults and it’s hydraulic for the elevators. We’ll never have a problem,” — Donald Trump, president
- “Billions of dollars more they spent on electric catapults and they're not good. They're not nearly as good, too complex,” — Donald Trump, president
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The exact cost range is described only as “hundreds of millions” in most reports, with no definitive figure released. The timeline for the fifth public shipyard remains vague, with the memo requiring a study and proposal within the next 120 days.
What’s Next
- The Pentagon must submit a detailed redesign plan for Doris Miller within the two-month window.
- Secretary Hegseth will deliver a 120-day report on expanding repair capacity, including options for a fifth public shipyard.
- Congress is expected to consider supplemental defense funding bills that could affect the budgetary feasibility of the redesign and shipyard expansion.
- The keel-laying for Doris Miller is slated for the end of the current year, after which any redesign decisions could impact the vessel’s projected early 2034 delivery.
