WASHINGTON (Realist English). U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday dismissed Jon Harrison, chief of staff to Navy Secretary John Phelan, in a surprise move that underscores growing tensions inside the Pentagon.
The Pentagon confirmed Harrison’s departure in a brief statement, saying he “will no longer serve as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Navy” and thanking him for his service. Harrison, appointed during the Trump administration and known for his outsized influence, declined to comment.
According to current and former defense officials, the firing came days after the Senate confirmed Hung Cao as Navy undersecretary — a development that reportedly intensified internal disputes over authority within the service.
Traditionally a low-profile position, the Navy secretary’s chief of staff acts as a senior coordinator. But under Harrison, the role expanded dramatically. He and Phelan implemented sweeping bureaucratic changes to the Navy’s policy and budget offices, seeking to consolidate decision-making and curb the undersecretary’s influence.
Politico previously reported that Harrison and Phelan had reassigned aides expected to assist Cao after his confirmation and had planned to personally vet all future military assistants assigned to him — effectively ensuring that key decisions originated in the secretary’s office.
Cao, a Navy veteran and former Republican Senate candidate in Virginia, was nominated for the post by President Donald Trump. His arrival marks a shift in the service’s power dynamics as Trump pushes for a revival of U.S. shipbuilding — a sector now lagging far behind allies and adversaries in output and efficiency.
Hegseth’s decision extends a broader pattern of shake-ups across the Pentagon. In recent months, he has dismissed multiple senior aides and replaced the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with the uniformed heads of the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
The restructuring reflects Trump’s determination to tighten control over defense leadership as the administration confronts cost overruns and delays in major naval programs.