US defense chief imposes ‘rigid control’ on naval decisions

Former Navy Secretary John Phelan has said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg imposed "rigid control" on submarine and shipbuilding decisions, "usurping the Navy's authority," the Washington Post reported Saturday, citing sources.

Phelan's protest about the moves quickly got back to Hegseth, who, along with Feinberg, laid out a case for getting rid of the navy chief, according to the report.

US President Donald Trump agreed, and on April 22 the Pentagon's senior staff announced that one of Hegseth's few remaining political rivals inside the agency was out, it said.

The report indicated that Hegseth is now "more confident than ever" about the stability of his position. His influence has grown even as Trump, in recent weeks, dismissed three Cabinet officials -- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer -- who had come to be viewed as political burdens.

Some officials warned that circumstances can shift rapidly within the Trump administration, making it difficult to predict how long anyone's position remains secure. One official compared the situation to a grizzly bear pursuing a group of hikers, explaining, "As long as you don't run the slowest, you're safe — and Pete is not the slowest right now."

This account draws on interviews with 16 individuals who described Hegseth's effort to centralize authority within the Defense Department, according to the report.

According to the sources, his initiatives extend beyond major weapons acquisition programs to include control of each military branch's promotion of senior personnel, as well as curbing the long-standing independence of top generals and admirals to communicate directly with the public through speeches and social media.

"All the power has been taken away from the uniforms and 100 percent gone to the political appointees," said one official.