Now Reading: Trump orders Navy to switch new carrier to steam catapults
-
01
Trump orders Navy to switch new carrier to steam catapults
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
The steam versus electromagnetic fight is being painted as a simple old-versus-new clash, but the real question is cost and readiness. Trump's instinct to trust a veteran's hammer-and-blowtorch tale ignores that EMALS needs far fewer sailors, and the Navy is short 20,000 of them. The reversal could run into billions, not just millions. Watch the Pentagon's 60-day plan: if it shows a realistic price tag and schedule for redesigning a half-built ship, the order may survive scrutiny. If not, expect Congress to push back hard.
Sources (3): timesnownews.com, indiatoday.in, hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
