Trump orders billion-dollar Navy overhaul, boosting U.S. shipmaking

President Donald Trump raised eyebrows on Thursday by directing the Navy to resume the use of traditional steam-powered catapult systems on its next Ford-class aircraft carrier. Trump’s directive memo, aimed at bolstering U.S. shipbuilding, opened with a directive to switch out the Navy’s electromagnetically powered systems for launching fighter jets with traditional steam and hydraulic systems.

McGuire Air Force Base reported the Navy’s first aircraft launch using the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, known as EMALS, in December 2011. The Navy used steam catapults on carriers to launch aircraft for over 50 years before the EMALS integration nearly 15 years ago. Commentators estimate the engineering overhaul may cost several billion dollars, though the White House did not release any official cost information.

Did Trump explain why the change was necessary? Navy shipbuilding experienced a series of setbacks due to overly complex designs and repetitive design changes, causing more delays and higher costs, according to the order. The military should use proven, reliable, and affordable technology when designing ships, the order continued.

The Thursday order included several other actions aimed at kickstarting naval repair programs and reviving the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Trump called on the Pentagon to establish a new naval shipyard for the first time in over 80 years, bringing the military up to five shipyards. Defense officials will pursue more direct investment in American shipbuilding from foreign shipbuilders who may employ and train American workers to construct ships in American-based shipyards.

How are critics and supporters responding? Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a Navy combat veteran, took issue with Trump issuing directives in areas of specialized expertise in a Thursday statement. Even with a Master's in aeronautical engineering and experience as a test pilot, Kelly would never advise Navy engineers on their own ship systems, he wrote. Trump needed to stick to bankruptcy and ballrooms, which are his areas of expertise, Kelly added.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, also a Navy veteran, released a Thursday statement celebrating the move to revitalize America's industrial base, and emphasizing what he described as the positive impacts on American economics and national security. Domestic supply chains and shipyards needed investment in order to increase capacity and outmatch adversaries, he wrote.

Navy veteran Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., echoed Jackson in a Friday statement, characterizing the order as the Trump administration following through on restoring American maritime dominance and bolstering national security.