Pete Hegseth Purges Navy Secretary, Seizes Pentagon Power for Political Appointees

Pete Hegseth is tightening his stranglehold on the Pentagon in a brazen power grab that sidelines military professionals in favor of political appointees. According to a Washington Post investigation based on interviews with 16 officials, Hegseth ousted Navy Secretary John Phelan “effective immediately” on April 22 after Phelan privately accused Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg of staging a “land grab” over submarine and shipbuilding decisions.

Phelan, who lasted just over a year, had raised alarms on Capitol Hill about Hegseth’s overreach and bypassing of the military chain of command by leveraging his close ties to former President Donald Trump. This was the last straw for Hegseth, who moved swiftly to remove Phelan once his complaints reached the Pentagon’s top offices. One official told The Washington Post it took “literally three minutes” for Phelan’s “s***talking” to get back to the front office and seal his fate.

The result is a wholesale transfer of authority from uniformed officers to political appointees. A U.S. official described the shift bluntly: “All the power has been taken away from the uniforms and 100 percent gone to the political appointees.” This consolidation extends to major weapons procurement decisions, top military promotions, and even generals’ ability to communicate publicly.

The purge isn’t limited to the Navy. In early April, Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who had called for “leaders of character” in his farewell speech—a pointed rebuke of the current Pentagon environment. Additionally, tensions simmer between Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, an ally of Vice President JD Vance, signaling further factionalism within the Defense Department.

Currently, Navy veteran Hung Cao serves as Acting Secretary of the Navy, but the message is clear: political loyalty and control trump military expertise under Hegseth’s watch. This power shift threatens the Pentagon’s professionalism and raises urgent questions about the politicization of America’s armed forces.

We will keep tracking how these moves undermine military integrity and accountability. The Pentagon should serve the nation, not political cronies.