Today we have a new case of a high-ranking US military officer being summarily dismissed on the orders of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Following the dismissal of the army's most senior general a few weeks ago, the Pentagon 'purge' has today claimed the post of Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan.
According to Reuters, which first reported the news, the Pentagon announced his dismissal in a brief statement indicating his immediate departure, without providing further details. Sources speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters that the sacked Secretary of the Navy had internal disputes with some key senior members, including Hegseth himself.
Phelan's departure is notable because he was a billionaire considered very close to Donald Trump's inner circle and is, in fact, the first service secretary appointed by the administration to be dismissed since Trump returned to office last year.
Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, in line with the White House administration's international policy shift, is scrutinising all senior Pentagon officials, and the list of dismissals since last year includes the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown, as well as the Chief of Naval Operations and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force.