Overview
- A presidential memorandum issued Thursday directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to produce, within 60 days, a plan to remove the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and replace weapons elevators with steam and hydraulic systems starting with the USS Doris Miller while the first three Ford‑class carriers keep EMALS.
- General Atomics, the maker of EMALS, says its work on the Doris Miller is about half complete and that changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks that industry and analysts estimate could add billions and push the ship’s delivery further into the 2030s.
- EMALS uses electric linear motors to launch jets with smoother, adjustable acceleration and requires far fewer sailors to operate, and Navy data and experts credit the system with higher sortie rates and lower operating crews compared with older steam catapults.
- Reverting to steam will require replumbing the ship for high‑pressure steam, rebuilding a dormant steam‑catapult supply chain, and adding more maintenance and manpower, a set of changes that will strain already crowded shipyards and could deepen shortfalls in carrier availability.
- The White House frames the order as restoring proven hardware and reviving the maritime industrial base, a position that contrasts with other navies moving to EMALS and has drawn sharp criticism from naval experts and some lawmakers over the practical and strategic trade‑offs.