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.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico (via REUTERS)
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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.
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Cao was nominated by President Trump. He is a Navy veteran and a former Republican Senate candidate in Virginia.
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Cao was nominated by President Trump. He is a Navy veteran and a former Republican Senate candidate in Virginia.
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Only earlier this week, Hegseth signed a memo, launching a new effort to overhaul the military's watchdog agencies, sparking concerns among current and former US officials that wrongdoing could go unreported or unexamined in the largest - and most expensive - branch of the US government.
The defense chief himself is being investigated over his use of the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss Yemen attack plans.
"We are overhauling an inspector general process, the IG, that has been weaponized, putting complainers, ideologues and poor performers in the driver's seat," Hegseth told top US military leaders on Tuesday.
The reforms include forcing IG offices to decide whether tips are backed by "credible evidence" within seven days and to track any "repeat complainants."
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.
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Home/World News/Us News/Why Jon Harrison was fired as Navy chief of staff. Pete Hegseth makes massive move
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