Why nuclear-powered LHAs remain unlikely

When might the US Navy build nuclear-powered helicopter carriers or LHAs?

Probably never: their close-shore mission, port access needs and limited propulsion benefit make nuclear power unattractive.

A nuclear reactor is not a nuclear weapon, but a reactor-bearing LHD would add radiological and damage-control risk near an enemy coast without the operational payoff of a fleet carrier. Amphibious ships must approach much closer to shore than a carrier launching long-range strike aircraft, placing the reactor inside a more exposed formation carrying thousands of personnel. Nuclear propulsion would also narrow the set of politically and physically accessible ports. Even countries willing to receive nuclear ships may lack berths and support infrastructure suitable for a large nuclear-powered vessel. Conventional Wasp- and America-class propulsion is therefore a better match for worldwide port access and the LHD mission. Nuclear endurance does not repay the added constraints for an amphibious assault ship.