Strategic Naval Pivot: Trump Mandates Return to Steam Catapults and Opens Overseas Shipbuilding

# US Naval Strategy Undergoes Major Overhaul Amid Technological and Industrial Shifts

In a move that signals a significant departure from recent military procurement trends, President Donald Trump has signed a national security memorandum that fundamentally alters the design trajectory of the United States' newest aircraft carriers and the nature of its naval industrial base. The directive focuses on two primary pillars: a return to legacy propulsion technology for aircraft launches and a strategic opening of the domestic shipbuilding market to international partners.

## The Return to Steam: A Technological Regression?

The most striking aspect of the memorandum is the order to scrap the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) in favor of the older, steam-powered catapult systems. While the first three vessels of the *Gerald R. Ford* class have already integrated the sophisticated EMALS technology, the fourth ship in the series, the **USS Doris Miller**, will now be designed with steam catapults.

This decision follows a series of vocal criticisms from the President regarding the efficacy and cost of electromagnetic systems. During a recent defense summit in Pennsylvania, the President characterized EMALS as an overly complex and prohibitively expensive failure, arguing that the billions invested in the technology did not yield a superior operational result compared to the tried-and-true steam systems.

To implement this change, the Pentagon and the US Navy have been given a strict 60-day window to submit a comprehensive transition plan. While the USS Gerald R. Ford has logged over 36,000 successful electromagnetic launches, the administration's focus has shifted toward reliability and fiscal prudence over cutting-edge innovation. Industry analysts suggest that this design pivot could potentially cost the government billions of dollars in reconfiguration and procurement adjustments, yet the administration views this as a necessary correction to avoid further systemic complexity.

## Breaking the Shipbuilding Monopoly

Beyond the technical specifications of the carriers, the memorandum introduces a paradigm shift in how the US Navy acquires its fleet. For the first time in several decades, the US is permitting the construction of naval vessels in overseas shipyards. This move is designed to alleviate the immense pressure on domestic shipyards and accelerate the turnaround time for new vessel delivery.

Under the new guidelines, foreign shipbuilding firms that have made significant and sustained investments within the United States are granted temporary permission to build up to two ships at their home country facilities. This policy serves as a supplementary measure to ensure that the US Navy can expand its fleet more rapidly than domestic capacity currently allows.

This policy shift arrives at a critical moment for the global shipbuilding industry. For instance, the South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group has already shown keen interest in expanding its footprint in the US defense market, recently proposing a multi-billion dollar acquisition of the US operations of the Australian firm Austal. Such moves indicate a growing intersection between international industrial capacity and US national security requirements.

## Strengthening the Maintenance Infrastructure

Recognizing that the ability to project power depends not only on building new ships but also on maintaining existing ones, the President has directed the Secretary of Defense to establish a fifth naval shipyard. This new facility is intended to specifically target the growing maintenance backlog affecting both the submarine fleet and the aircraft carrier strike groups.

By expanding the physical infrastructure for repairs and upgrades, the administration aims to reduce the time ships spend in port and increase the overall readiness of the fleet. This comprehensive approach—combining a return to reliable technology, globalized production, and expanded maintenance facilities—marks a bold redirection of US naval policy aimed at prioritizing operational availability over technological experimentation.