U.S. President Trump Orders Navy Ford-Class Carriers to Return to Steam Aircraft Launch Catapults

According to the Wall Street Journal in an article published on August 13, 2026, Trump signed a national security memorandum requiring the change from USS Doris Miller onward. The newspaper reported that the first three ships in the class will retain EMALS and that Navy officials had resisted a return to steam for several years because of the cost and complexity involved. Trump has questioned electromagnetic catapults since his first term and has repeatedly argued that the system is too complex and performs less effectively than steam. The White House presents the decision differently, describing steam and hydraulic systems as proven technologies that it considers more resilient in wartime and easier to support through an industrial base capable of expanding production. The administration therefore frames the change not only as a technical choice but also as one linked to maintainability, resilience and industrial capacity.

This reasoning comes after a difficult development period for EMALS. The system experienced reliability problems during the construction and initial testing of Gerald R. Ford, contributing to delays and criticism of the carrier program. Its subsequent operational record, however, provides a different set of data. EMALS uses linear induction motors to accelerate aircraft along the catapult track instead of releasing pressurized steam through a piston system. Four electromagnetic catapults are installed aboard Ford and, by March 2026, they had completed nearly 37,000 aircraft launches. The Navy has also stated that EMALS and the Advanced Arresting Gear allow Ford to launch and recover aircraft at a higher rate than the preceding Nimitz class.

Exhibit A: Why Fascists Suck At War