The navy was dragged into that against their preference by Rumsfeld and the rest of the "Revolution in Military Affairs" people. The original plan was for the f

The navy was dragged into that against their preference by Rumsfeld and the rest of the "Revolution in Military Affairs" people. The original plan was for the first Ford class ships to use conventional catapults, etc, while the new stuff was developed and refined in parallel, to be integrated once it was proven ready. That wasn't fast enough for the Revolution folks, who insisted that the most aggressive timeline possible be followed. Nearly everything those people touched has turned into a disaster, costing tax payers billions.