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Trump Orders Ford-Class Carriers to Switch to Steam Catapults

8/18/2026

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Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Navy to replace electromagnetic catapults on Ford-class carriers with steam catapults.
Former maritime strategist Hunter Stires called the redesign wasteful, saying it would expend millions of taxpayer dollars.
Each Ford-class carrier, like the USS Doris Miller and USS Enterprise under construction, costs about $22 billion per a Congressional Budget Office estimate.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Navy to replace electromagnetic catapults on Ford-class carriers with steam catapults.
Former maritime strategist Hunter Stires called the redesign wasteful, saying it would expend millions of taxpayer dollars.
Each Ford-class carrier, like the USS Doris Miller and USS Enterprise under construction, costs about $22 billion per a Congressional Budget Office estimate.