Pete Hegseth is not only waging war against Iran, he’s also taking on the Pentagon. Woe betide any high-ranking military leader who dares to step on his toes, as the merest hint of subordination is grounds for being canned.
Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Randy George? Gone. Navy Chief of Staff, Adm. Jon Harrison? Buh-bye. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q Brown Jr? Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Now, US Navy Secretary John Phelan joins them on the scrapheap. Phelan, a Trump appointee and former donor who raised eyebrows when announced for the job in 2024, as he had no experience of the Navy, the military, national security, or the defense industry. However, he did donate a lot of money to Trump, so whatever, just give him some job. Navy secretary? Sure, okay.
Phelan has now been given the boot by Hegseth, reportedly told to choose between being fired and resigning. No official reason was given, though Drop Site News is reporting that Hegseth was particularly annoyed that Phelan would talk directly to Trump without involving him, considering this an active attempt to bypass his authority.
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) April 23, 2026
Hegseth Fires Navy Secretary John Phelan Mid-War, the 34th Military Officer Fired
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ousted Navy Secretary John Phelan Wednesday, giving him the choice to resign or be fired, six sources told CNN. The Pentagon announced the departure as effective… https://t.co/Jp9w0e4owt
Trump isn’t getting his battleship
Phelan was also the mastermind behind the “Trump-class battleship”, one of the more obvious and cringeworthy attempts to stroke the president’s ego. Hegseth saw this plan as a tactically useless distraction in a modern navy, a boondoggle that’d probably become a magnet for explosive drones.
It’s safe to say America’s national security probably isn’t in crisis because Phelan has been given the boot. In fact, the nation’s adversaries are probably tutting with disappointment that they won’t get a chance to send a multi-billion-dollar “Trump-class battleship” to the briny deep.
However, it’s telling that Hegseth apparently can’t tolerate even mild disagreement with those working with him. If one of the reasons behind Phelan’s firing really is the catty “you’re talking to the boss behind my back!” you can only conclude that Hegseth wants to surround himself with obedient yes-men who’ll rubber-stamp whatever he wants without question.
Who can say whether beating the nation’s military apparatus into subservience to a clearly unhinged and bloodthirsty “Secretary of War” will work out in the end? Whatever the case, given that the US Navy apparently can’t even open the Strait of Hormuz, Phelan being kicked out of the Pentagon at least can’t make things worse.
