The U.S. Navy has initiated an internal review to consider relocating the command tower, or "island," on its newest class of aircraft carriers following aesthetic concerns raised by President Trump. A former senior U.S. official familiar with the matter stated Sunday that the review is exploring moving the multistory tower from its current position toward the middle of the vessel to more closely resemble the design of older warships.
The island serves as the operational hub for flight-deck management, tactical command, and navigation. On current Ford-class carriers, the island is positioned further back on the starboard side, a design choice intended to maximize space for aircraft to line up before takeoff. The Navy is expected to conclude its internal review and provide a report within several weeks.
This design review follows a separate directive issued Thursday in which President Trump ordered the Navy to replace electromagnetic catapult systems with traditional steam-powered systems. That memo specifically targeted Ford-class ships currently under construction, such as the USS Doris Miller. Defense experts and officials have stated that reverting to steam catapults and hydraulic systems would cost billions of dollars and could reduce the operational efficiency of the vessels.
The scale of the fiscal impact is noted by experts as reaching into the billions of dollars for the catapult transition alone. While a specific dollar amount for moving the island has not been reported, any structural change to a $22 billion ship involves significant taxpayer funds. In day-to-day operations, pilots and deck crews would see a change in the "sortie generation rate," or how quickly planes can be launched and recovered. Former Navy officials, including Hunter Stires and Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, noted that the current Ford-class design was specifically engineered to increase this rate by providing more deck space in front of the island for aircraft troubleshooting and taxiing.
The knock-on effects extend to the construction timelines for the USS Enterprise and USS Doris Miller, which are already in progress. Altering the design mid-construction sets a precedent for White House involvement in technical naval architecture based on aesthetic preferences rather than strictly operational requirements. If the Navy adopts these changes, it would mark a departure from the technological shift toward the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Weapons Elevators that characterized the Ford class. The Navy’s internal review is expected in several weeks, which will determine if the island relocation proceeds.