Trump orders US Navy to replace EMALS with steam catapults on USS Doris Miller

President Donald Trump has issued a presidential memorandum directing the U.S. Navy to replace electromagnetic launch systems with traditional steam technology on the future USS Doris Miller (CVN-81). The move signals a strategic pivot toward operational reliability over the theoretical performance gains of newer, more volatile technologies.

The directive orders the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy to develop a plan to remove the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Weapons Elevators from the CVN-81. In their place, the Navy will reinstall traditional steam-powered catapults and hydraulic elevator systems. While EMALS utilizes linear induction motors to accelerate aircraft, the legacy systems rely on steam pistons, a technology that served the fleet for decades.

The failure of modernization

The decision follows years of struggle with the Gerald R. Ford-class carriers, which were intended to be a generational leap forward. By replacing the Nimitz-class's steam catapults with EMALS, the Navy aimed to achieve more flexible launch weights and higher sortie rates. However, the lead ship of the class, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), suffered significant reliability issues with both the launch system and its weapons elevators, resulting in periods where the vessel was unable to launch aircraft.

These failures have cast a shadow over the entire class. The current directive for the CVN-81 suggests that iterative design changes were not sufficient to solve the underlying instability of the electromagnetic systems, forcing a return to the mechanical certainty of the previous generation.

Strategic and industrial implications

Reverting to steam technology prioritizes immediate operational readiness over modernization, but it creates a potential technological gap. Global competitors are continuing to push forward with electromagnetic systems; for example, China is actively deploying EMALS on its CNS Fujian. By stepping back from this technology, the U.S. risks falling behind in the specific engineering capabilities required for next-generation carrier aviation.

Beyond the hardware on the ships, the memorandum addresses a broader crisis in U.S. naval shipbuilding. Trump has directed the establishment of a fifth naval shipyard to expand the repair capacity for aircraft carriers and submarines. To accelerate this growth, the administration is proposing a new acquisition model that would allow foreign suppliers to participate in Navy procurement, provided they build or acquire a shipyard within the United States.

What remains to be seen

While the directive for the USS Doris Miller is explicit, the long-term fate of the Ford-class remains in flux. The Navy must now determine if the infrastructure to build and maintain steam catapults—which have not been the primary focus of new construction for years—can be rapidly scaled. It remains to be seen if this retreat to proven technology will be a temporary measure for the CVN-81 or a permanent reversal for the remainder of the carrier fleet.