President Donald Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum on Thursday ordering the Navy to equip future Ford-class aircraft carriers with traditional steam-powered catapults instead of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system, or EMALS.

The directive specifically targets the fourth Ford-class carrier, the future USS Doris Miller, currently under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding. Subsequent carriers in the class would also revert to the steam technology used on Nimitz-class carriers, along with hydraulic systems for aircraft elevators.

A White House official confirmed the details of the memo, which also directs the establishment of a fifth public shipyard to handle submarine repair work and a new component repair center aimed at reducing maintenance backlogs.

Trump has criticized EMALS for years, citing repeated reliability problems during testing and operations on the lead ship USS Gerald R. Ford. The system has faced delays and cost overruns since its introduction as part of efforts to modernize carrier operations.

Navy officials and defense industry representatives have previously opposed the shift back to steam systems, arguing it would increase costs and complicate ongoing designs. The memo requires the Pentagon and Navy to develop implementation plans for the redesign.

The order comes amid broader efforts to strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base and address readiness challenges in the fleet. Steam catapults, powered by the ship's nuclear reactors, have a long track record of dependable performance across decades of carrier operations.

The memorandum builds on Trump's earlier public statements favoring proven legacy systems for critical naval capabilities.