Pentagon Announces Immediate Departure of U.S. Navy Secretary, No Explanation from Defense Department; Sources Say Related to "Infighting"

【Global Times Special Correspondent Liu Haoran】At a sensitive time when the U.S. military is implementing a blockade of Iranian ports, on April 22 local time, U.S. Department of Defense Chief Spokesman Sean Parnell announced on social media that Navy Secretary John F. Kelly would be leaving his position, effective "immediately," and that Deputy Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly would serve as acting Navy Secretary. U.S. media pointed out that this would be the first service secretary to leave during President Trump's second term. Kelly's tenure, which lasted 13 months, has come to an end, and the Pentagon has not provided a specific explanation for the reasons. The 54-year-old Modly was born in Vietnam and came to the U.S. as a refugee, having served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years.

Reports indicate that this significant personnel change was announced without any prior warning; just hours before the announcement, Kelly had met with Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. On the 21st, Kelly delivered a speech to military personnel and held a press conference at an annual Navy conference held in the suburbs of Washington. In response, foreign media commented that amid the current stalemate in the Middle East, the Pentagon is busy with "infighting and purges."

Kelly previously worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs and later founded a private investment company in Palm Beach, Florida. He is not only a core supporter of the U.S. Republican Party but also one of the main donors to Trump's campaign. Notably, he had no prior military service experience. Trump has publicly praised Kelly as "one of the most successful businessmen in America" and stated that the rebuilding of the U.S. Navy urgently needs "business minds like his." However, Trump's unconventional promotion of Kelly has consistently sparked widespread controversy. Foreign media quoted sources saying that part of the reason for Kelly's dismissal was his lack of progress in accelerating shipbuilding and deteriorating relations with the Pentagon leadership. According to a report by The New York Times on the 22nd, during his tenure as Navy Secretary, he had many conflicts with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist, with "infighting" lasting for months. Last October, Esper directly fired Harrison, the director of the Navy Secretary's office.

U.S. AXIOS news reported that Kelly often "bypassed the chain of command" to contact President Trump directly, which is considered a taboo in the clearly defined command structure of the defense department. Moreover, he expressed an open attitude towards "outsourcing Navy shipbuilding projects," a stance that not only contradicts the bipartisan consensus in the U.S. but also goes against the government's policy direction of attracting corporate investment and strengthening the domestic shipbuilding industry, being seen as a "serious strategic and political error." Currently, U.S. public opinion on Kelly's departure is mixed. Several media outlets, including Reuters, believe that Kelly's tenure exposed shortcomings in operational capabilities, with multiple projects falling behind schedule. The New York Times pointed out that Kelly "misguided" the development direction of the U.S. Navy: the defense department advocates for the vigorous development of Navy submarines, stealth aircraft, the development of unmanned systems, and software-driven electronic warfare and cyber warfare capabilities, while he focused on outdated naval equipment, catering to the White House's high-level ambition to create a flashy "golden fleet."

Senate Armed Services Committee Democrat member Jack Reed expressed that this dismissal is "concerning," viewing it as another example of instability and dysfunction within the defense department. He criticized that U.S. Navy personnel are currently stretched thin across multiple theaters, while military leadership is "in disarray," which not only severely affects morale but also sends "wrong signals" to allies and enemies. Some U.S. media reported that since Esper took office, there has been a "continuous purge" of military leadership, with several senior generals and defense officials being forced to resign. Earlier this month, U.S. Army Chief of Staff Randy George was "forced to retire."

The New York Times reported that the U.S. Navy Secretary is part of the civilian hierarchy and does not participate in command operations, so Kelly's departure will have little impact on the conflict with Iran or the Navy's related deployments in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the personnel turmoil within the defense department may affect the weapon supply for frontline personnel, such as the already heavily consumed "Tomahawk" missiles.