Navy seriously considers revisiting design of aircraft carriers to better suit the aesthetic desires expressed by Trump: ‘Wasteful and abusive’

The U.S. Navy is currently weighing a major revamp of the design for its new class of aircraft carriers to better suit the desires expressed by President Trump. This effort involves an internal review to see if the multistory command center tower of an aircraft carrier, often called the island, can be moved toward the middle of the vessel.

The Washington Post first reported on the internal review, noting that the service is evaluating the feasibility of the move to make the ships resemble warships from World War II. According to The Hill, a former senior U.S. official familiar with the matter stated that the review was kick-started in part because the president was concerned about the look of the Ford-class aircraft carriers. This review is expected to be completed in several weeks. 

Per the outlets, the island is the nerve center for managing flight-deck operations, tactical command, and the vessel’s navigation. It is usually located on the starboard side of the ship. Moving it would be a massive undertaking. Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer who studies the service at the Hudson Institute, noted that such an alteration to the layout would affect the ship’s buoyancy and weight. He stated, “You could change it, but it’s very disruptive.”

Form over function

Hunter Stires, who served as the maritime strategist to the Navy secretary until last year, offered a blunt take on the proposal. Per The Hill, he argued that warships are built to win in combat rather than to win a beauty pageant. Stires explained that the placement of the island on the Ford class was chosen to support the ship’s design purpose of maximizing aircraft sortie generation, which translates to combat power. 

He told The Hill, “Expending millions of taxpayer dollars and the time and energy of the Navy’s engineering organizations redesigning the nation’s premier capital ship to indulge the president’s aesthetic whims is not only wasteful and abusive, it exemplifies President Trump’s evident contempt for America’s fighting sailors.”

This potential change is not the only modification affecting the fleet. The Hill reported that on Thursday, Trump directed the Navy to remove the electromagnetic catapult system on carriers and return to using steam catapult systems. This directive, issued via a national security memorandum, emphasizes the administration’s preference for proven, reliable, and affordable technologies and ship designs. 

Multiple officials have reportedly noted that such a change could cost billions of dollars and hamper operational efficiency. The Navy has already begun moving out on options to meet the president’s intent regarding these design changes.

Per The Hill, the Ford-class carriers represent a significant investment, with each ship expected to cost around $22 billion according to an August estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The Washington Post noted that the USS Gerald R. Ford is currently in service, while other ships like the USS Enterprise and the USS Doris Miller are in various stages of construction. 

The outlet reported that the move to relocate the island was actually examined by the Navy during Trump’s first term as president. A former senior U.S. official noted that a previous study found the cost and time required to make such a change would be extraordinary.

The current design of the Ford-class, with the island placed further back, was chosen for specific operational reasons. Three U.S. current and former officials told The Washington Post that this placement creates more parking space for aircraft near the catapults, which allows crews to reduce the time it takes to launch jets. It also improves landing safety by reducing turbulence for incoming planes. 

Navy Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, the former captain of the USS Gerald R. Ford, previously explained that the extra room in front of the island allows aircraft more space to line up before taking off. Per The Hill, he told TWZ in 2022, “If you’re a little bit late, you need to troubleshoot, maybe it’s just reset a system that’s built into the aircraft, you reset the system and off you go, you can taxi to the catapult.”

The Post noted that the White House has continued to exert influence over the complex mechanics of naval shipbuilding. Trump has promised to resurrect the industry and has issued multiple executive orders to that effect. While the Navy and Pentagon have referred requests for comment to the White House, the administration maintains a focus on its vision for the fleet. 

This includes the reported development of new classes of ships, such as the Trump Class battleships that were unveiled last year. As the Navy conducts its current review, the service remains concerned about the potential for significant delays and cost overruns that these aesthetic-driven changes might create for the nation’s premier capital ships.