President Trump has directed the U.S. Navy to implement significant design changes for Ford-class aircraft carriers, including a return to steam-powered catapults and a potential relocation of the ship's command center tower. The U.S. Navy is currently conducting an internal review to evaluate moving the "island"—the multistory structure on the flight deck—closer to the middle of the vessel. Defense experts and former officials reported that these adjustments, if enacted, could increase construction costs and delay the delivery of warships currently being built.
The design changes follow a national security memorandum issued by the president on Thursday. The directive instructs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to submit a plan within 60 days to replace the current Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) with traditional steam and hydraulic systems for the construction of the CVN-81. While the Navy has previously reported that EMALS and advanced arresting gear contribute to higher flight launch rates, the White House has cited rising costs and lengthy construction timelines as reasons for the shift.
Budget Director Russell Vought stated on Friday that the Ford-class ships have become increasingly expensive, with costs rising from $13 billion for the initial vessel to an expected $18 billion for the USS Doris Miller. Vought noted that under current projections, the time required to replace older Nimitz-class carriers results in fewer active ships. Conversely, Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute and retired Admiral Gary Roughead noted that moving the island could cost billions and impact the ship's stability and flight-deck efficiency, as the current rearward placement was designed to maximize space for jet maneuvers.
A person serving in the Navy or working in a shipyard would notice a concrete change in their day-to-day operations and training requirements. Admiral Roughead noted that the shipyard workforce would have to re-learn or adapt to older steam catapult technology, which has not been used since the Nimitz class. Additionally, pilots would face changes in flight-deck layout and potential increases in deck turbulence. These adjustments could slow the overall rate at which the Navy replaces its aging fleet, potentially leaving the service with fewer operational carriers during a period when it is already facing capacity shortages.
The knock-on effects include a redirection of engineering and design resources away from other naval initiatives to focus on these structural overhauls. A move of the command island would necessitate a recalculation of the ship’s center of gravity to prevent instability or oscillations at sea. What happens next depends on the 60-day review period mandated by the president's memo. The Navy must deliver its plan to the White House by mid-October 2026, at which point officials will decide whether to proceed with the overhaul for the CVN-81 and subsequent vessels.