Overview
- The national security memorandum that President Trump signed on Aug. 13 directs the Defense Department and Navy to deliver a 60‑day plan to remove the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, on future Ford‑class carriers beginning with USS Doris Miller.
- Navy leaders say Ford’s integrated electrical design produced higher sortie rates in tests and warn that reverting to steam would be a significant design change affecting ship layout and systems.
- A February stress test cited by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle showed Ford generated roughly 120 to 130 percent of the sortie‑generation rate of Nimitz‑class carriers, an outcome tied to EMALS and other electrical upgrades.
- Experts and former officials warn rebuilding steam‑catapult production lines would require restarting dormant supply chains, add billions to program costs and could push delivery of Doris Miller into the late 2030s.
- The decision splits policy makers: White House officials argue steam would simplify shipbuilding, while many in the Navy and some members of Congress say EMALS cuts crew needs, lowers operating costs and enables launches of heavier future aircraft.