Why Jon Harrison was fired as Navy chief of staff. Pete Hegseth makes massive move
Updated on: Oct 04, 2025 04:22 am IST
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made his first major move since the Quantico meeting earlier this week
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made his first major move since the Quantico meeting earlier this week. The 45-year-old Trump ally fired Navy chief of staff Jon Harrison. The Politico cited two defense officials and a former defense official to report that the ouster comes after the confirmation of Navy undersecretary Hung Cao.
As per the report, the Pentagon said: “He will no longer serve as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Navy. We are grateful for his service to the Department.”Harrison is yet to comment.
Reports speculate that Harrison and Navy Secretary John Phelan's sweeping changes to policy and budgeting could be behind Hegseth's move. Politico previously reported that the two reassigned several aides ‘who were supposed to help Cao navigate the role once he’s confirmed’.
“They had also planned to interview all future military assistants for Cao to ensure decisions came from the secretary’s office,” the publication added.
Cao was nominated by President Trump. He is a Navy veteran and a former Republican Senate candidate in Virginia.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/why-jon-harrison-was-fired-as-navy-chief-of-staff-pete-hegseth-makes-massive-move-101759531173840.html