So it turns out the toilet pipes on the USS Gerald R. Ford are too small compared to the aggregate feces volume of the sailors. Sh#t > Pipes = STUCK TOILETS
You would think that somebody might have thought of this early on.
A 2020 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report determined that the sewage pipes integrated throughout the Ford were too narrow to handle the volume of waste generated by a crew of over 4,000 personnel.
This design deficiency was identified before the carrier was even delivered to the Navy, but the vessel was accepted and commissioned without remediation.
The narrow piping is particularly susceptible to calcium buildup, which progressively restricts flow and creates blockages, especially on the ship's lower decks.
Guess what descales calcium from pipes? GLYPHOSATE! It's a powerful descaler. It was originally used to remove metals and minerals from pipes, before it was re-branded as a "safe" herbicide.
So the solution for keeping the USS Gerald R. Ford war-worthy with functioning toilets is, obviously, to feed a lot more glyphosate to all the sailors!
Can't make this up.