07:59 PM EDT, 08/13/2026 (MT Newswires) -- President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to return to using steam catapults on future Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

In a presidential memorandum, Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to develop a plan within 60 days on what would be needed to use hydraulic catapults on the planned USS Doris Miller, the fourth ship in the six-vessel carrier class, the report said.

The memorandum also directed Hegseth to develop a plan for a fifth Navy shipyard and a new acquisition approach for surface ships used in submarine targeting and convoy escort roles, according to Bloomberg.