Jon Harrison was removed from his role as chief of staff to the secretary of the Navy on Friday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A Pentagon official confirmed Harrison’s departure to Newsweek, saying: “He will no longer serve as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Navy. We are grateful for his service to the Department.”
Why It Matters
Harrison’s removal is the latest in a series of sweeping personnel changes that have sparked debate about the direction of the U.S. military and civilian oversight of the Department of the Navy.
The move comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to centralize authority, revise military culture and streamline decision-making among the Navy’s senior leadership, while the U.S.’s naval power faces a renewed challenge from Beijing.
What To Know
Harrison, a Trump administration appointee, assumed the chief of staff role in January. In 2020, President Donald Trump appointed him chairman of the United States Arctic Research Commission.
He held that role until spring 2021, overseeing Arctic policy at a time when White House attention focused on resource development and strategic initiatives in Greenland.
According to Florida Atlantic University, Harrison is a member of its Board of Trustees, appointed in January by the Florida Board of Governors and confirmed by the Florida Senate.
He previously worked as a principal shareholder and board member at Albers Aerospace, an aviation and defense engineering firm. Harrison’s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southampton in England. He also chairs the District Board of Trustees for Palm Beach State College.
While the Navy chief of staff is traditionally a behind-the-scenes administrative position, Politico reported that Harrison had “a rare level of power” while filling the role.
The publication reported that Harrison, along with Navy Secretary John Phelan, had sought to undermine Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao—who was confirmed this week—by reassigning aides and designating that future appointments must go via the secretary’s office.
Cao stood in the 2024 Virginia Senate election as the Republican candidate before Trump nominated him as navy undersecretary.
In September, the president signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War, though departmental name changes are legally required to go through Congress.
What People Are Saying
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, addressing military leaders earlier in the week, said: “As you have seen and the media has obsessed over, I have fired a number of senior officers since taking over. … The rationale, for me, has been straightforward: It’s nearly impossible to change a culture with the same people who helped create or even benefited from that culture, even if that culture was created by a previous president and previous secretary.”
What Happens Next
Hegseth has indicated that he wants the Department of Defense to adopt a more aggressive ethos targeted at those he perceives as the U.S.’s enemies.