Trump Making Strange Changes To US Navy

The U.S. Navy is reportedly considering major changes to future aircraft carriers to better match President Donald Trump’s preferences, a move that could add billions of dollars to already expensive shipbuilding programs and create further delays.

According to a report, Navy officials are examining potential redesigns of Ford-class aircraft carriers, including moving the command island from its current position toward the center of the ship. The changes are intended to give future carriers more of the appearance and layout associated with American warships from the World War II era.

But the proposed changes could come with significant costs. Officials familiar with the discussions warned that redesigning ships already in development could cost billions of dollars while adding to the Navy’s long-standing problems with construction delays.

Moving the carrier’s command tower would also eliminate several advantages of the current Ford-class configuration. According to officials, the existing design provides additional aircraft parking space, helps reduce the time required to launch aircraft and lowers the risk of turbulence affecting planes during landings.

Aircraft carriers already take years to design and build, making major changes particularly complicated. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the first ship in the Ford class, took approximately 17 years to complete after repeated delays involving the introduction of new technologies.

The Ford also became the first carrier to use the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, which replaced the traditional steam-powered catapults used on older carriers. The Navy has credited the newer system with improving aircraft-launching capabilities.

The possible redesigns come as the Trump administration is pursuing a broader effort to overhaul the Navy and expand American shipbuilding.

A national security memorandum released Thursday called for additional changes to Navy shipbuilding, including a move to replace electromagnetic catapult technology with older steam-powered systems on another future aircraft carrier.

General Atomics, the company that received a $1.2 billion contract to produce the electromagnetic launch system, has warned that abandoning the technology after substantial work has already been completed could create serious financial and scheduling problems.

The company said that nearly half of production was already finished and argued that changing direction at this stage could introduce significant cost, schedule and integration risks.

Defense industry expert Bryan Clark also pointed out another potential problem: steam catapults are no longer being manufactured, and the Navy purchased its last set roughly two decades ago.

The proposed changes could therefore create additional pressure on a Navy already struggling to produce new carriers quickly enough to meet growing demands.

Those concerns are especially significant as the United States remains involved in the war with Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln has spent more than 260 days deployed in the Middle East, while lawmakers have raised questions about conditions facing the roughly 5,000 service members aboard the carrier.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal has called for greater scrutiny of the Lincoln’s lengthy deployment, citing reports involving supply shortages, contaminated water and declining morale among sailors.

The Navy’s potential redesigns are therefore coming at a sensitive time. While the Trump administration argues that changes are necessary to address long-term problems and build a stronger fleet, critics warn that redesigning ships and replacing newer technology could make an already difficult shipbuilding situation even more expensive and time-consuming.