Hegseth’s Firing Of Navy Official Compounds ‘culture Of Fear’ Inside Pentagon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest firing of a top Navy official injected a fresh wave of fear into the Pentagon over the cost of speaking up and who might be next.

The Pentagon chief, in less than a year, has purged a handful of the military’s most senior officials, terminated some of his closest advisers and last week warned a gathering of generals and admirals that many of them could face a similar fate.

The sudden dismissal last week of Jon Harrison, the Navy chief of staff, has only added to concerns about Hegseth’s objectives, according to five current and former defense officials. Most of his moves have come without public explanation, and led to a deepening sense of uncertainty throughout the department — one that risks silencing pushback on critical decisions that affect how the U.S. military interacts with the world.

There is an emerging “culture of fear; there’s a culture of intimidation and retaliation,” said a senior defense official. “It’s better just to keep your head down and not necessarily try to do anything to the advantage of the organization, because it’s very much run from the top down.”

The decision on Friday to fire Harrison, who had emerged as an unusually powerful top aide, underscores the turbulence inside Hegseth’s Pentagon.

Harrison had worked to overhaul the service through a rapid-fire reshuffling of its bureaucracy. He and Navy Secretary John Phelan took aim at the office of the Navy undersecretary, seeking to curb the role of the service’s No. 2 civilian leader even before he arrived at the Pentagon, according to four people familiar with the situation, who like others in the story, were granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics.

This did not sit well with the nominee, Hung Cao, a former GOP Senate candidate from Virginia who has deep MAGA connections and White House ties. He won Trump’s endorsement in his failed 2024 Senate bid.

Cao reached out to Hegseth’s team to voice concerns about Harrison’s moves, according to a third defense official and a former defense official, which spurred his quick termination — even before the Navy undersecretary entered the Pentagon in his new role.

Phelan didn’t find out about the firing until after it happened, according to three of the current and former defense officials.

Harrison and Cao didn’t respond to requests for comment. The Navy directed comments to the Pentagon. “We all serve at the pleasure of the president,” the department said in a statement.

Cao, a retired Navy captain with two unsuccessful Congressional runs under his belt, is also a savvy political player. While waiting for his confirmation vote, he watched Harrison and Phelan attempt to dismantle much of his office’s power, the second defense official said.

“Cao was keeping track of all this while waiting for his confirmation vote,” that official said. “And he moved fast” once he was sworn in.

The White House signaled support for the decision.

“President Trump has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth and his ability to ensure individuals across the Department of War are aligned with the president’s mission to Make America Strong Again,” said Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, referring to the administration’s rebranded term for the Defense Department.

The rapid fire turnover is a classic Hegseth move, starting with the surprise Friday night announcement in February that ousted Joint Chiefs Chair C.Q. Brown and other senior leaders.

Hegseth, in his speech last week to top military brass, warned officersthat he was serious about ridding the department of those who didn’t adhere to his warrior ethos vision. “If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” he said. “We would thank you for your service.”

But the unspoken motivations for the firings have put many tied to the Pentagon on edge.

“It adds to the climate of fear,” another former defense official said, “when randomly, people are just suddenly done.”