Navy Weighs Renaming Future Carrier CVN-81 Amid Push to Honor President Trump

Internal Navy discussions are evaluating whether to replace the planned name USS Doris Miller for the Ford-class carrier CVN-81 with the name of former President Donald Trump. The carrier, whose keel-laying is slated for the end of 2026, has been referred to only by its hull number in recent internal documents. Sources familiar with the deliberations say the Navy is also considering assigning the Miller name to a different warship while recommending Miller for the Medal of Honor, a decoration that would require congressional and presidential approval.

KWTX - Waco NewsCNNDaily BeastReports say USS Dorie Miller may be renamed after Trump – The Real WV

During President Donald Trump’s first term, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly announced that CVN-81 would honor Doris “Dorie” Miller, an enlisted mess attendant from Waco, Texas, who manned an anti-aircraft gun during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Miller’s actions earned him the Navy Cross in 1942 and later a posthumous recommendation for the Medal of Honor. The naming marked the first time an aircraft carrier would honor an enlisted sailor and the first carrier named for an African American.

KWTX - Waco NewsCNNDaily BeastReports say USS Dorie Miller may be renamed after Trump – The Real WV

A 2025 renaming commission, convened under former Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, reviewed naming policies and reportedly favored naming carriers after presidents, admirals, or historic battles. The commission’s work coincided with broader Pentagon efforts, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to replace ship names deemed tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

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• January 2020 – Modly announced the USS Doris Miller name at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony in Pearl Harbor.

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• 2025 – Navy renaming commission formed; Phelan’s study on naming criteria began but was left unfinished after his removal.

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• Early 2026 – Sources report the Navy stopped using “USS Doris Miller” internally, referring only to CVN-81.

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• Mid 2026 – White House executive order on shipbuilding mentions CVN-81 by hull number and tasks the Defense and Navy secretaries with a plan to replace its launch system.

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• End 2026 – Planned keel-laying ceremony; name must be finalized before the event.

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The Office of the Secretary of Defense issued a similar comment, indicating no official decision had been made.

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• “Dorie Miller was the son of a sharecropper,” — Navy Thomas Modly

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• “Ultimately, these names are meant to be symbolic and unifying for the Navy, and the nation it serves,” — Navy Thomas Modly

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All available information comes from unnamed sources familiar with internal Navy deliberations; no formal announcement from the Navy or the Department of Defense has been released. The extent of any proposed name change, the timeline for a Medal of Honor recommendation, and the identity of the alternative vessel that might bear Miller’s name remain unconfirmed.

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The Navy must decide on a final name for CVN-81 before the keel-laying ceremony at the end of 2026. Simultaneously, the recommendation for Miller’s Medal of Honor will proceed through congressional and presidential review. Further updates are expected once the Secretary of the Navy or the Defense Department provides an official statement.

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