Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Navy Secretary John Phelan \u201ceffective immediately\u201d on Apr. 22 after Phelan privately told Capitol Hill lawmakers that Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg had staged a \u201cland grab\u201d over submarine and shipbuilding decisions.<\/p>\n
The account is based on interviews with 16 officials conducted<\/a> by The Washington Post.<\/p>\n Phelan, who served just over a year in the role, had drawn criticism for overstepping his authority and bypassing the chain of command, leveraging his close personal access to<\/a> President Donald Trump, a key concern for Hegseth.<\/p>\n Power Stripped<\/p>\n Hegseth\u2019s consolidation now spans major weapons procurement, top-officer promotions and generals\u2019 ability to communicate publicly. \u201cAll the power has been taken away from the uniforms and 100 percent gone to the political appointees,\u201d one U.S. official told The Washington Post. <\/p>\n In early April, Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who, in his farewell, urged the need for \u201cleaders of character<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n Tensions between Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a close ally of Vice President JD Vance, were also reported in April<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ouster Was Swift<\/p>\n Hegseth and Feinberg laid out the case for removing Phelan after his private complaints reached the front office. Trump agreed and the decision was executed immediately. \u201cIt took literally three minutes for his s***talking to get back to the front office,\u201d one official with direct knowledge of the ouster said.<\/p>\n Currently, 25-year veteran Hung Cao is serving as Acting Secretary of the Navy in an interim capacity.<\/p>\n Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock<\/p>\n Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.<\/p>\n