President Trump ordered the Navy to scrap a key new system on its next carrier and return to steam catapults, even as he opens the door to building some Navy ships overseas.
Story Snapshot
- Trump directed a switch from electromagnetic to steam catapults on the next Ford-class carrier.
- The White House memo also allows up to two Navy ships to be built in foreign shipyards.
- Officials frame both moves as ways to speed deliveries and boost capacity.
- Design changes could add major costs and time to an already strained ship plan.
What the White House Ordered and Why It Matters
The White House issued a national security memorandum that tells the Pentagon to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System with steam catapults on the Ford-class carrier now in design, CVN-81. The order also seeks hydraulic systems for advanced weapons elevators. The memo pairs this shift with a new policy that lets as many as two Navy ships be built at foreign parent shipyards that invest in the United States. The administration says these steps will speed procurement and expand capacity.
Reuters reported that the design change could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and complicate work already underway for the next carrier in the line. Supporters argue steam gear is proven and easier to maintain at sea. Critics warn that ripping out a newer system this late may slow the ship and add risk. The same memo includes broader shipbuilding goals from earlier executive actions to grow the fleet and the industrial base across public and private yards.
Opening Navy Work to Select Foreign Yards
The memorandum permits up to two Navy ships to be built in foreign parent shipyards, provided those firms invest in American facilities and workers. Reporting from South Korea and the United States says the move targets near-term gaps that domestic yards cannot meet on schedule. The White House frames the policy as a one-time bridge to rebuild skills at home faster, not a full shift offshore. The goal is to deliver ships sooner while the U.S. base scales up.
This step departs from decades of practice that kept Navy construction inside U.S. borders. The administration’s Maritime Action Plan, released earlier, laid out new funding, training, and incentives to revive the sector. It included fees tied to foreign-built cargo arriving in U.S. ports and other tools to channel money into shipyards and suppliers. Lawmakers have urged firmness in talks with China over shipping costs, a reminder that trade policy and shipbuilding policy now move together.
The Stakes for Readiness, Costs, and Trust
Navy leaders face late deliveries, repair backlogs, and not enough capacity to meet plans. The two-part order—older launch tech on carriers, limited foreign builds for other ships—tries to solve speed and scale at once. It answers right-leaning worries about reliability and wasted spending and left-leaning fears about corporate delays that put sailors at risk. But changing a carrier’s core systems midstream and moving some work offshore could still raise costs and spark backlash over dependence abroad.
US Trump has ordered a return of the steam catapult to Ford-class aircraft carriers along with the establishment of a new, fifth public shipyard to take on submarine repair,the memo orders for Ford-class aircraft carriers like the Doris Miller being built at HII’s Shipbuilding . pic.twitter.com/37CdLpEd9m
— Valhalla (@ELMObrokenWings) August 14, 2026
For many Americans, the through line is familiar: leaders promise a stronger fleet, yet the system often pays more and gets less. People on the right see failed tech bets and slow yards. People on the left see big contracts and weak oversight. Both sides doubt that Washington serves the public first. These orders are a live test. If ships arrive faster, safer, and cheaper, trust rises. If delays grow and bills swell, the sense that elites run the game will deepen.
Sources:
theguardian.com, reuters.com, openmarketsinstitute.org, whitehouse.gov, semafor.com, cnbc.com, cbsnews.com
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