Hegseth fires Navy Secretary Phelan in another sudden Department of War shake-up
Hegseth fires Navy Secretary Phelan in another sudden Department of War shake-up
M.U.H
23/04/202612
Pete Hegseth has removed US Navy Secretary John Phelan, the latest casualty of the US secretary of war's abrupt dismissal campaign amid reported top-level opposition to Washington's unprovoked aggression against Iran.
On Wednesday, Chief Department of War spokesperson Sean Parnell said Phelan was "departing the administration, effective immediately," in a post on X, offering no explanation. Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve as acting secretary.
The ouster caught many off guard and added to a series of sudden shake-ups during Trump’s second term.
A person familiar with the situation told the American outlet Axios, "Phelan didn't understand he wasn't the boss. His job is to follow orders given, not follow the orders he thinks should be given."
The same source said Phelan and Hegseth did not "get along."
'Dispute over chain of command'
Despite reports of a good relationship between Phelan and Trump, tensions reportedly emerged over Phelan’s reported direct communication with the president.
One source said Hegseth believed Phelan bypassed the chain of command too often.
Part of broader turnover
The dismissal came amid a naval standoff with Iran, which has seen the Islamic Republic indefinitely shut the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation against an illegal American naval blockade, which Tehran insists has to be removed before the chokehold is reopened.
It also followed other recent changes across the United States' political and military stratosphere, with reports suggesting opposition across various ranks to Washington's unprovoked aggression targeting the Islamic Republic.
Trump and Hegseth have been portraying a uniquely successful picture of the campaign, despite reports and official accounts robustly contradicting the narrative.
About three weeks earlier, Hegseth removed Army Chief of Staff Randy George along with two other military officials.
Hegseth has also had friction with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who has been credited with a reported Army transformation initiative and is a close ally of Vice President JD Vance.
In early April, Iran's Majlis (Parliament) speaker reacted to Hegseth's dismissing high-ranking generals, linking the trend to their defying the US war secretary's betraying American lives in favor of the Israeli regime.
Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf made the remarks in a post on April 4 after Hegseth sent off Randy George and others.
"Battle-tested generals refuse to be yes-men for a TV host selling out American lives for Israel's delusions," the top legislator wrote, referring to Hegseth's past experience in television.
Additionally, Qalibaf was referencing the Israeli regime's widely reported agitation of the United States towards forcing it to join Tel Aviv in the unprovoked aggression.
Qalibaf described American forces' paying for the war with their lives as the "short-term price" of the Israeli-instigated aggression.
He went on to note that the war's long-term cost would be "American taxpayers paying at the pump for decades," a reference to spikes in fuel prices as a result of Iran's strategic and defensive maneuvering in the Strait of Hormuz that has sent shockwaves throughout global energy markets.
