As USS Gerald R Ford is thrust into one conflict zone after another, things are starting to break. Recently, the 4,000-sailor crew of the world’s largest supercarrier was running out of functioning toilets due to issues with the complicated vacuum plumbing system.
Other issues have also plagued CVN-78’s EMALS, arresting gear, weapons elevators, and even the radar system. We discuss how a breakneck OpTempo is starting to wear on the vessel, but why this also means the forthcoming CVN-79 (USS John F. Kennedy Jr) and CVN-80 (USS Enterprise) will be better.
00:00 – Intro
01:38 – Ford’s toilet troubles
04:46 – Next-gen systems = next-gen problems
06:32 – EMALS, AAG, and elevator issues
11:25 – The F-35C conundrum and the Radar
13:53 – Why is all this flaring up now
18:08 – Channel updates
Recorded: February 27th, 2026
Written by: Kyle Gunn
Edited by: Savvy
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