Trump revolutionizes the US Navy - and it will cost Americans billions
Trump has ordered the US Navy to return to steam-based launch systems on new aircraft carriers. Industry officials warn that the dramatic move is expected to cost billions, delay programs, and create a potential technological advantage for China.
US President Donald Trump has ordered the US Navy to rip out the complex technological systems for launching fighter jets from its newest aircraft carriers and return to using steam-based catapults. The dramatic move, which Navy officials have fought for many long years, is expected to cost the American taxpayer billions of dollars.
According to a report by journalist Marcus Weisgerber, US officials said that Trump signed a national security memorandum on Thursday ordering the change, which will involve removing the electromagnetic system used by the newest 'Gerald R. Ford' class aircraft carriers.
With this decision, Trump is keeping a promise he made nearly a decade ago, during his first term, to return to the old steam systems. This comes after he heard a sailor praise the old system during a visit on board one of the ships. Since Trump declared in an interview with 'Time' magazine in 2017 that he had ordered the Navy to return to "goddamn steam," senior leaders in the military and defense industry have strongly opposed the move. Their opposition stemmed from the enormous cost involved in ripping out such a complex system, which is an integral part of the engineering and structural design of the 'Ford' series.
The new order requires the Navy to redesign the fourth ship in the series, which will be called 'Doris Miller' and whose construction will begin this year ahead of entering service in 2034, and all ships following it. The first three ships in the series will be allowed to keep the electromagnetic system. "They're not nearly as good, they're too complex," Trump said last month at a conference in Pennsylvania. The White House was quick to back the decision and said in a statement: "This decision will lead to aircraft carriers that will be operated by battle-proven steam and hydraulic systems, which are more durable and robust than the current and overly delicate systems."
This order marks Trump's latest intervention in the planning and development of military programs. In the past, he intervened in negotiations on 'Air Force One' and the F-35 stealth fighter programs, ordered design changes to the 'Constellation' class frigates, and even promoted the creation of new battleships to be called the "Trump series."
Bryan Clark, a naval expert at the Hudson Institute in Washington, warns that replacing the electromagnetic systems with steam will be a hideously complex and expensive task. The internal design of the 'Ford' series is fundamentally different, and areas that previously housed steam infrastructure have been altered or completely eliminated. On the old ships, steam powers not only the catapults but also heating systems and kitchen equipment, which requires extensive piping that creates multiple points of failure. "Electricity is more reliable and cheaper to maintain," Clark stated, noting that the 'Ford' serves with 500 fewer sailors, which saves the Navy about one hundred million dollars annually.
Industry is also expressing concern. 'General Atomics', which builds the electromagnetic systems and has already completed 50% of the work on the 'Doris Miller', warned that changing course now will harm national security and the technological superiority of the USA, and will allow rivals like China, which already uses electromagnetic systems, to close the gap.
The presidential memorandum also includes additional instructions for improving submarine maintenance and encouraging foreign investment in the shipbuilding sector, including the establishment of a new public shipyard, the first in 83 years, and a logistics center for repairing spare parts. Parallel to these efforts, the Navy has begun an attempt to increase submarine production and recently awarded a giant deal worth 76.6 billion dollars for the construction of 14 new submarines by 2038. The network of giant companies involved in fleet production, including HII, will now be forced to recalculate their path in an attempt to combine the whims of the past with the technology of the future.
