President Trump has ordered the US Navy to prepare plans to replace electromagnetic launch and weapons-lift systems on the future USS Doris Miller with older steam and hydraulic technology. The move reflects concerns about reliability problems on the Ford-class carrier programme and forms part of a wider effort to accelerate and reform US naval shipbuilding.

The order specifically names CVN-81, rather than all future carriers, and the White House did not clarify whether it would extend further. EMALS and Advanced Weapons Elevators were introduced on USS Gerald R Ford but have suffered technical difficulties, including occasions when aircraft could not be launched; doubts have also been raised about promised higher sortie rates. The memorandum additionally calls for a fifth naval shipyard, allows qualified foreign firms to compete for up to three vessel classes, and requires later ships to be built in US yards.