Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, abruptly fired the navy chief of staff on Friday, removing an aide who had been key to the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the Pentagon.
Jon Harrison, who was appointed in January, had been key to broad changes made to the navy’s policy and budgeting offices. Together with John Phelan, a Trump mega-donor who was confirmed as navy secretary in March, Harrison had reportedly sought to limit the influence of the navy undersecretary, who typically has a key role in managing that military branch’s budget.
