{"id":14405,"date":"2019-05-28T22:26:32","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T22:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/28\/why-trump-asked-the-wasps-crew-electric-or-steam\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:54:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:54:18","slug":"why-trump-asked-the-wasps-crew-electric-or-steam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/28\/why-trump-asked-the-wasps-crew-electric-or-steam\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Trump asked the Wasp\u2019s crew \u2018electric or steam?\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump kicked off a Tuesday speech to the crew of the amphibious assault ship Wasp with a question \u2014 electric or steam?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo then let me ask you a question \u2014 catapult \u2014 right, the catapult system. Do you like electric or steam?\u201d Trump said while calling for an audience voice vote during his roughly 20-minute address in Yokosuka, Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president treated his appearance on board the Wasp as a Memorial Day event because it still was Monday in the United States, but Trump\u2019s address conveyed the same pro-steam theme he\u2019s sounded since early 2017, when he entered the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2017\/05\/11\/navy-should-return-to-goddamned-steam-on-carrier-trump-says\/\" target=_blank>May<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2017\/09\/29\/trump-again-bashes-emals-technology\/\" target=_blank>September<\/a> of 2017, Trump blasted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/02\/16\/report-emals-might-not-be-ready-for-the-fight\/\" target=_blank>EMALS <\/a>while encouraging the Navy to return to using \u201cgoddamned steam,&#8221; a bugaboo he repeated during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2018\/11\/23\/trump-rails-against-court-migrants-in-call-to-troops\/\" target=_blank>a 2018 Thanksgiving call<\/a> with the troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His speech is the latest sign that Trump continues to want the Navy to abandon the revolutionary Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, on Gerald R. Ford-class carriers and replace it with steam catapults used by previous flattops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI really need this information, because, you know, we\u2019re building carriers. We\u2019re building one using an electric catapult and an electric elevator,\u201d Trump told hundreds of personnel assigned to the Japan-based 7th Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/11\/28\/why-the-navy-thinks-the-carrier-gerald-r-ford-will-work-after-all\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MDF13648.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Why the Navy thinks the carrier Gerald R. Ford will work after all<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The combination punch of good news at the Senate Armed Services&#039; Seapower Subcommittee included testimony that the Navy has recorded significant cost savings during the building of the John F. Kennedy, the next Ford-class carrier, and is prepping to purchase two similar flattops in Fiscal Year 2020.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s Tuesday speech questioned whether the \u201celectric\u201d system would work in battle, grousing that it \u201cmust be very delicate&#8221; compared to the steam catapults on carriers such as Nimitz, which was commissioned in 1975.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also bemoaned the original decision to go with EMALS over steam as \u201cbefore my time a little bit\u201d and grumbled that \u201cthis crazy electric catapult\u201d was \u201c$900 million\u201d over budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump didn\u2019t detail where he got those figures, but a 2017 report from the Pentagon\u2019s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office estimated that the price tag for Ford\u2019s EMALS would rise to $958.9 million, about $814 million more than analysts thought it would cost in 2004 when the contract began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that\u2019s still a moving target because more funds were needed to patch software glitches in EMALS before combat-loaded jets can be launched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those fixes are expected to be finished when Ford leaves Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipyard in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Congress has appropriated funding for EMALS to be installed on the future Ford-class flattops John F. Kennedy and Enterprise, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/02\/06\/a-fighting-ford-prepares-to-join-the-fleet\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC_6921.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">A fighting Ford prepares to join the fleet<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Navy\u2019s top officer says the troubles plaguing the Navy\u2019s newest flattop have been solved and he expects that it soon will terrorize foes and fascinate friends.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/authors\/AQPcK-JADh8\/robert-levinson\" target=_blank>Bloomberg analyst Rob Levinson <\/a>told Defense News that Trump could order the Navy to scrap EMALS in the future CVN-81, which hasn\u2019t been named, but that would be difficult to do for Kennedy and Enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The partially-built Kennedy probably would need to be \u201ctorn apart,\u201d he warned, \u201cand a lot of penalties would have to be paid to contractors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Going back to steam also would likely receive a chilly response on Capitol Hill, not to mention at San Diego-based contractor General Atomics, the manufacturer of EMALS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The problem is that Ford-class carriers have been designed from the power plant up for EMALS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To return to the system used by Nimitz would mean carving out space for both generating steam and piping it to the catapults, displacing other systems built into the warships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why in 2009 the Navy estimated that replacing EMALS with steam catapults could delay construction of a Ford-class carrier for up to 18 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/24\/once-beleaguered-by-critics-the-ford-gets-a-lift\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/190116-N-ON468-1005.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Once beleaguered by critics, the Ford gets a lift<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford just got closer to becoming a fully operational flattop.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for the warship Wasp, it doesn\u2019t even use catapults to launch its helicopters, MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, AV-88 Harrier II jump jets or F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that didn\u2019t stop Trump from calling for a voice vote from \u201call of the folks that know exactly what I\u2019m talking about \u2014 the catapult system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His push for steam drew enthusiastic cheers but when he mentioned \u201celectric\u201d only a smattering of applause could be heard, followed by laughter from the rest of the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Singling out one pro-EMALS voice, Trump joked that he \u201cworks with the enemy\u201d before saying the sailor was \u201call right,\u201d although perhaps &#8220;in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump said that he\u2019s talked with members of Ford\u2019s crew and they also complained about the \u201celectric catapult&#8221; and preferred steam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo I think I\u2019m going to put an order when we build a new aircraft carrier carrier, we\u2019re going to use steam,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=208fcc03-bd73-4f09-ba0c-77a6627b1a11\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-208fcc03-bd73-4f09-ba0c-77a6627b1a11.jpg\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump, speaking to the crew of the amphibious assault ship Wasp asked for a vote on the Navy&#8217;s catapult system of choice &#8212; he prefers steam.<\/figcaption><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The warship Wasp doesn&#8217;t even have catapults.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":32712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"6":{"categories":["your-marine-corps","news","left-column","home","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-marine-corps"}}},"categories":[101,23,88,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3087,3216],"class_list":["post-14405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"W5MRLYKO2NC2PJIRQSSQXGZ7OI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/28\/why-trump-asked-the-wasps-crew-electric-or-steam\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Trump asked the Wasp\u2019s crew \u2018electric or steam?\u2019 - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The warship Wasp doesn&#039;t even have catapults.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Trump asked the Wasp\u2019s crew \u2018electric or steam?\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The warship Wasp doesn&#039;t even have catapults.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/28\/why-trump-asked-the-wasps-crew-electric-or-steam\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-28T22:26:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T18:54:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. 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