WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is considering a major redesign of its newest aircraft carriers to make the ships look more like the carriers that served during World War II, a move driven by President Donald Trump’s preference for a more traditional appearance and potentially carrying a multibillion-dollar price tag.
The proposal represents an unusual intersection of presidential preference, military design and the enormous costs involved in building America’s most sophisticated warships.
The Navy’s Ford-class aircraft carriers were designed around modern technologies, automation and a layout intended to improve aircraft operations. But Trump has expressed a preference for carriers that resemble the ships of an earlier era, when the aircraft carrier’s command center — known as the “island” — was positioned differently on the flight deck.
Moving that structure would not be a cosmetic adjustment. It could require extensive engineering changes to ships that are already in development, potentially disrupting construction schedules and increasing costs substantially.
A president’s preference becomes an engineering problem
Aircraft carriers are among the most complicated machines ever constructed. Their designs integrate nuclear reactors, propulsion systems, aviation facilities, radar and communications equipment, weapons systems, crew accommodations and extensive electrical and mechanical networks.
The placement of the island is therefore closely connected to the overall architecture of the ship.
Trump's preference for a World War II-era appearance is significant because the Navy has spent decades developing carrier designs that look very different from their historical predecessors.
The modern Ford-class carrier uses an advanced configuration intended to maximize flight-deck efficiency and incorporate increasingly sophisticated electronic systems.
Changing the layout after the design process has advanced could require engineers to revisit many interconnected systems rather than simply moving one structure from one location to another.
That is why naval officials and industry experts are concerned about the potential consequences.
The Ford class was designed for a different era
The Ford-class carriers represent the Navy's attempt to build a new generation of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with greater automation and improved aircraft-launch and recovery capabilities.
The lead ship, USS Gerald R. Ford, recently completed a lengthy combat deployment in the Middle East, giving the Navy operational experience with the new class.
But the program has also faced years of development problems, cost increases and technical challenges.
The first carrier was extraordinarily expensive, and some of the class's newest systems required significant testing and refinement.
Despite those difficulties, the Navy has continued moving forward with the Ford-class design.
A major redesign now could introduce another layer of complexity at precisely the time the service is trying to accelerate shipbuilding.
The island is more than a visual feature
The carrier's island contains essential command, navigation, communications and sensor equipment.
Its location affects the movement of aircraft, visibility from the bridge, radar performance and the arrangement of equipment throughout the vessel.
That makes the proposed relocation a major engineering decision.
A World War II-era carrier typically had a very different relationship between its flight deck, island and aircraft-handling operations. Modern carriers, by contrast, have been designed around jet aircraft, advanced radar systems, electronic warfare and much greater demands for information processing.
The Navy therefore has to balance Trump's desire for a particular appearance against the operational requirements that drove the current design.
The redesign comes alongside another major change
The proposed redesign is not the only major change Trump has ordered for future aircraft carriers.
On Thursday, Trump issued a national security memorandum directing the Navy to develop plans to return to traditional steam-powered aircraft catapults instead of the Ford-class's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS.
The electromagnetic system was developed to replace steam catapults and provide more precise control over aircraft launches.
The Navy has already accumulated extensive experience with EMALS. According to Reuters, the system has completed more than 36,000 launches and is also used by France.
Trump has nevertheless criticized the electromagnetic technology as unnecessarily complex and expensive and has favored the older steam technology.
The decision means that future carriers could require significant redesign work even before considering changes to their external configuration.
The Doris Miller faces the immediate challenge
The fourth Ford-class carrier, USS Doris Miller, is particularly important because its construction is already underway.
The Trump administration's decision to reconsider the aircraft-launch system comes after substantial work on the electromagnetic system has already been completed.
General Atomics, the company responsible for EMALS, has warned that changing systems at this stage could create significant cost and schedule problems.
The administration has directed the Pentagon to develop a plan for the change, creating the possibility that engineers will have to modify a ship whose construction was based on a different technological architecture.
That illustrates the central problem facing the Navy: changing a warship's design during construction is far more complicated than changing a blueprint.
Billions of dollars are at stake
Aircraft carriers already consume enormous amounts of taxpayer money.
The Ford-class program involves ships costing many billions of dollars each, and redesigning major components could add substantially to those expenses.
The concern is not limited to the direct price of new equipment.
A redesign can require new engineering studies, altered manufacturing plans, redesigned components, additional testing and changes to existing contracts.
It can also delay the ship.
That delay can create additional costs because shipyards, workers and suppliers must remain engaged for longer periods.
For a Navy already struggling to expand its fleet, losing time on individual carriers could have consequences far beyond a single ship.
A bigger question about military procurement
The controversy raises a broader question about how presidents should influence highly technical military programs.
Presidents and defense secretaries have always had authority to set strategic priorities. They can decide which weapons the military needs, how much money should be spent and what technologies deserve investment.
But naval architecture involves specialized technical decisions that can take years to develop.
Military engineers typically make those decisions based on aircraft requirements, threats, reliability, maintenance, cost and battlefield performance.
Trump's intervention has therefore generated concern among critics who believe aesthetic preferences should not override engineering considerations.
Former and current military officials have emphasized the importance of designing ships around their missions rather than their appearance.
The Navy is also trying to build more ships
The timing is especially important because the Navy is under pressure to increase the size of the fleet.
The administration has made shipbuilding a major national priority, arguing that the United States needs more warships to compete with China.
Trump has also promoted a proposed new class of large surface combatants, known as the Trump-class battleships, as part of his broader effort to expand American naval power.
The proposed program could itself cost hundreds of billions of dollars over several decades, according to estimates cited by the Congressional Budget Office.
At the same time, the Navy is confronting limited shipyard capacity, long construction schedules and a shortage of skilled workers.
Every major redesign therefore creates a potential conflict between two goals: building more ships quickly and making changes to existing designs.
Supporters see a return to proven technology
Trump's supporters argue that his skepticism toward newer technologies is not simply about appearance.
They point to the difficulties the Navy has experienced with some advanced systems and argue that proven technologies can sometimes be more reliable and easier to maintain.
The president has repeatedly argued that the Navy should favor systems that are simpler, less expensive and easier for sailors to operate.
The steam-catapult decision is an example of that philosophy.
But critics counter that older technology is not automatically better simply because it has been used successfully for decades.
The Navy replaced steam catapults with electromagnetic systems precisely because aircraft and carrier operations evolved.
Modern aircraft are heavier and more technologically sophisticated, while the Navy has sought greater control and efficiency during launches.
China adds urgency to the debate
The redesign discussion is also unfolding against the backdrop of intensifying U.S.-China military competition.
China is rapidly expanding its naval capabilities and has developed its own aircraft carriers and electromagnetic aircraft-launch technology.
China's newest carriers have adopted modern electromagnetic launch systems, putting the United States in a situation where both countries are pursuing similar advanced technology.
That makes the American decision particularly consequential.
If the United States moves back toward older technology while China continues developing newer systems, critics argue, Washington could sacrifice technological advantages at a time when maintaining them is strategically important.
The central dilemma
The Navy now faces a difficult balancing act.
Trump wants a fleet that reflects his vision of American military power: large, imposing and visually reminiscent of the Navy that dominated the oceans during World War II.
Military planners, meanwhile, must consider whether those visual preferences are compatible with the technologies required for modern warfare.
The challenge is not merely making a carrier look different.
A carrier is a floating air base, nuclear-powered power plant, command center and weapons platform. Every major change to its design can affect thousands of components and the people who build and operate them.
That is why the Navy's consideration of a World War II-inspired redesign has become much more than a question of aesthetics.
It is a test of how far presidential preferences should reach into military engineering — and whether the United States can afford to redesign expensive warships while simultaneously trying to build a larger fleet.
For the Navy, the ultimate measure will not be whether its new carriers look like the ships of the 1940s.
It will be whether those ships can deliver the combat capability, reliability and technological advantage required in the conflicts of the 21st century.
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