President Trump on August 13, 2026, signed a presidential memorandum directing a sweeping overhaul of U.S. Navy shipbuilding and the maritime industrial base. The action responds to a documented crisis: despite nearly doubling its shipbuilding budget over two decades, the Navy has failed to grow its fleet, with roughly 82 percent of ships under construction facing delays and cost overruns across six major programs. The memorandum directs a plan to replace the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) on the carrier CVN-81 with traditional steam and hydraulic systems, citing persistent reliability failures that have hampered sortie generation. It also scales up a "Finland Model" — modeled on a 2025 U.S.-Finland icebreaker deal — under which foreign shipbuilders may temporarily build up to two naval vessels abroad in exchange for investing in U.S. shipyards, training American workers, and transferring proprietary technology. Additional directives call for a fifth public Navy shipyard, a centralized component repair center for submarines, and a structural review of Naval Sea Systems Command. One immediate complication: General Atomics, holding a $1.2 billion EMALS contract for CVN-81 that is already roughly half complete, has warned that reversing course "warrants careful reconsideration" given the cost, schedule, and integration risks involved.