Washington DC - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been trying to remake the Pentagon in unprecedented ways, raising concerns among department insiders.
According to The Washington Post, Navy Secretary John Phelan was fired on April 22 after Hegseth got word that he had accused the secretary of having "imposed rigid control over submarine and shipbuilding decisions, effectively usurping the Navy's authority."
The Post noted that Phelan was "one of Hegseth's few remaining political rivals inside the department," and his firing comes as the secretary has been terminating tons of officials in an effort to reshape the military by rooting out "woke" people and policies.
The Guardian reports that since February 2025, Hegseth has fired or forcibly retired 24 generals and senior commanders – 60% of whom were Black or female – with no performance-related reason given.
Insiders say that Hegseth has become "increasingly isolated" within the Pentagon, only surrounded by "a small coterie of close friends and relatives."
Sources also claimed Hegseth has expressed "fear and paranoia" about being fired, as Trump has recently let go of several top officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
One official described the situation as a grizzly bear chasing a group of hikers, saying, "As long as you don’t run the slowest, you're safe – and Pete is not the slowest right now."
Paul Eaton, a retired army major-general, argued that Hegseth's purges aim to "create ideologically pure armed forces that will be pliant" to him and the president over the Constitution.