# Trump orders Navy to switch new carrier to steam catapults 2026-08-14T01:36:57+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets US President Donald Trump has directed the Navy to remove the electromagnetic catapult system from the future USS Doris Miller and install steam catapults instead. The presidential memorandum, issued on Thursday, gives Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 60 days to draft a plan. Trump has criticised the electromagnetic system since at least 2017, saying steam is more reliable and can be fixed with a hammer and a blowtorch. The decision could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the AP reports, and would reverse staffing and performance gains. The USS Doris Miller, the fourth Ford-class carrier, would be the first to get steam. The Navy has about 20,000 unfilled posts, and EMALS cut the number of sailors needed to operate catapults from a dozen to two. China and France have adopted electromagnetic catapults for their new carriers. General Atomics, the maker of EMALS, warned the change would bring significant cost and schedule risks. ## Coverage - timesnownews.com - indiatoday.in - hindustantimes.com Tags: Donald Trump, EMALS, shipbuilding, steam catapults, US Navy, USS Doris Miller Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/trump-orders-navy-to-ditch-emals-for-steam-catapults-on-uss-miller/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/trump-orders-navy-to-ditch-emals-for-steam-catapults-on-uss-miller/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.