John Phelan is about to take the helm as secretary of the Navy after the Senate confirmed him for the job Monday by a vote of 62-30.
The SECNAV is the highest civilian chargeable for main the Division of the Navy, which additionally consists of the Marine Corps. Phelan, a businessman and co-founder of MSD Capital, was nominated for the put up by President Donald Trump.
Forward of his affirmation listening to final month, Phelan informed lawmakers that he deliberate to push for extra funding in uncrewed techniques and enabler applied sciences — reminiscent of autonomy, mission techniques and communications — for manned-unmanned teaming by the Navy and collectively with the opposite navy companies.
He’s coming into the job as the ocean service is pursuing a “hybrid fleet” and making an attempt to speed up the fielding of robotic platforms to counter China, together with by way of Venture 33. The Marine Corps can be pursuing collaborative fight plane by way of its Penetrating Inexpensive Autonomous Collaborative Killer-Portfolio (PAACK-P) program, in addition to loitering munitions.
Phelan additionally famous the necessity for quite a lot of counter-drone instruments, knowledgeable by latest Navy efforts to thwart assaults by the Houthis and defend navy and industrial vessels within the Pink Sea. Some protection officers have mentioned the navy wants cheaper choices for taking pictures down cheap adversary unmanned aerial techniques.
“The Pink Sea engagements supplied helpful classes. Whereas price change ratios are a helpful metric towards low-cost threats, they don’t embody the complete complexity of naval warfare. I totally help a Captain using the best means accessible to eradicate threats and defend their multibillion-dollar ship and crew. Nevertheless, we should present them with a greater diversity of dependable choices past their present restricted and dear options. If confirmed, I’ll prioritize increasing growth of layered ship protection capabilities, together with weapons, directed vitality, loitering munitions, and different revolutionary applied sciences,” Phelan wrote in response to advance coverage questions from senators.
The Marines are additionally gung-ho about counter-drone tech, having lately awarded a $642 million contract to Anduril to ship, set up and maintain a household of techniques to guard its installations from small UAS.
Phelan additionally weighed in on digital threats that the division is confronting expressing his view that the highest cyber challenges dealing with the Navy are securing protection crucial infrastructure and weapon techniques, rising cyber power readiness and executing crucial modernization efforts.
“Eradicating legacy info expertise, modernizing cryptography, implementing zero belief, and hardening categorised networks all contribute to modernizing the Division of the Navy. Importantly, the readiness of our navy and civilian workforce is crucial for attaining our priorities in our on-line world. It’s my understanding that the Navy and Marine Corps have made notable progress in strengthening cybersecurity and resiliency in operational expertise environments and in enhancing the readiness of their personnel within the Cyber Mission Pressure [overseen by U.S. Cyber Command],” he wrote.
“Moreover, the Division of the Navy lately delivered the primary totally validated implementation of a real Zero Belief structure within the Division of Protection. If confirmed, I’ll anticipate the [Navy’s principal cyber adviser] to work intently with the Chief Data Officer and Navy and Marine Corps stakeholders to drive tangible outcomes in these areas,” he informed lawmakers.
The division can be putting better emphasis on info warfare, which incorporates intelligence, digital warfare, cyber, cryptology and networks, amongst different areas.
Phelan informed senators that, if confirmed, he would request an in depth briefing on the Navy’s “info dominance” capabilities and decide resourcing, workforce and innovation priorities to combine into the joint power’s modernization efforts.
“If confirmed, I’ll empower the Naval Data Warfare Neighborhood to recruit, retain and promote essentially the most expert and certified Sailors to coach and conduct built-in fires to successfully deter and fight threats to our Nation. These actions align to the Division of the Navy Cyber Technique which requires efficient sequencing and synchronization of non-kinetic results to generate decisive benefits,” he wrote.
Phelan — who has no earlier navy expertise — will take the helm of the Navy because the Pentagon is within the midst of DOGE opinions, hiring freezes and efforts to cut back the DOD’s civilian workforce by greater than 50,000 folks. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth lately issued a memo giving service secretaries the authority to request and authorize sure exemptions to the civilian hiring freeze. Final week, the division launched one other memo with an inventory of extra positions which might be eligible for exemptions.
Phelan’s affirmation marks the most recent success by the Trump administration in filling high-level posts on the Pentagon.
On March 14, the Senate confirmed Stephen Feinberg as deputy secretary of protection to function the Pentagon’s No. 2 underneath Hegseth. Trump’s decide for Military secretary, Daniel Driscoll, was confirmed in late February. And earlier this month, Katie Arrington was appointed performing Pentagon CIO.
Nevertheless, different nominees for high-level Pentagon jobs have but to be confirmed, reminiscent of Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees and Troy Meink as Air Pressure secretary, amongst others.
It’s additionally unsure who would be the subsequent chief of naval operations working alongside Phelan to steer the ocean service. Final month, Trump fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti as CNO and hasn’t nominated a alternative. Within the meantime, Adm. James Kilby, vice chief of naval operations, is performing the duties of CNO.
Different key nominations for senior positions which have but to be confirmed embody Michael Duffey to be undersecretary of protection for acquisition and sustainment, the Pentagon’s prime weapons purchaser; Emil Michael to be undersecretary of protection for analysis and engineering, a task tasked with fostering next-generation navy capabilities and overseeing crucial expertise areas; and Elbridge “Bridge” Colby to be undersecretary of protection for coverage, amongst others. A affirmation listening to for Meink, Michael and Duffey is scheduled for Thursday.
