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President Trump Directs Pentagon to Redesign Aircraft Carrier to Use Steam Catapults
Just the facts
Under the memorandum signed by President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao must develop a plan within 60 days to equip the USS Doris Miller with steam and hydraulic launch catapults and weapons elevators. The USS Doris Miller is a Ford-class aircraft carrier under construction by contractor General Atomics in Newport News, Virginia, with construction reported to be nearly 50 percent complete. General Atomics stated that altering the design mid-construction introduces significant cost, schedule, and integration risks for the vessel, which was already delayed until 2034. Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona criticized the presidential directive, citing the potential costs and technical challenges associated with modifying the carrier's propulsion and launch architecture.
Why this is news
President Donald Trump signed a national security memorandum ordering defense officials to redesign a future Ford-class aircraft carrier to utilize steam catapults instead of electromagnetic launch systems. The directive gives Navy leadership 60 days to formulate an implementation plan for the redesign.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.