The US Navy Aircraft Carrier Catapult Question: Why Steam Can't Fight Tomorrow's War

A US Navy program question—whether steam or electromagnetic power should drive aircraft catapult launches—highlights how carrier doctrine can lag behind new warfare realities. The article argues doctrine is vital to prevent chaos when responses match expected problem sets, but becomes outdated and dangerous when conditions change. Steam catapults, adopted by the Navy after WWII, enabled heavier jets and were central to jet-focused carriers such as the Forrestal-class. But with today’s carriers routinely serving 40–50 years and launching/recovering aircraft under fire, launch and recovery systems must adapt faster to new aircraft technologies. The piece traces the evolution from gunpowder to steam and why “last war” thinking persists.