US Navy Chief of Staff Sacked Amid Hormuz Strait Crisis, Reportedly Clashes with Defence Secretary Hegseth

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has once again been rocked by the dismissal of one of its military officials. This time, it is the turn of the US Navy Chief of Staff, John C. Phelan, who is no longer in post, as announced by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, according to reports from TRT World on Thursday (23/4/2026). “We thank Chief of Staff Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy. We wish him well in his future career endeavours,” Parnell said in an official statement released by the Pentagon. Phelan was selected as US Navy Chief of Staff by President Donald Trump last year and confirmed by the Senate with a 62-30 vote. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Phelan affirmed his commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the US Navy, citing recruitment and retention across all Navy branches, including expanding the fleet size. The Wall Street Journal, citing several officials, reported that Phelan was dismissed after months of tensions with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to the report, several Pentagon leaders at the end of last spring were disturbed by Phelan presenting ideas for modernising warships directly to Trump without coordinating with Hegseth. Phelan’s dismissal comes shortly after a series of sackings of several generals at the Pentagon by Hegseth. In early April, the Pentagon announced that General Randy A. George would retire from his position as Army Chief of Staff. Hegseth also dismissed several other high-ranking military officials, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Spokesperson General C.Q. Brown Jr., Navy Operations Chief Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Vice Chief of the Air Force General James Slife, and Defence Intelligence Chief Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse. According to local media reports, Phelan is the 34th military official to be dismissed by Hegseth since he took office as defence secretary.