Trump says Navy Secretary Phelan was fired over shipbuilding conflicts

WASHINGTON: Navy Secretary John Phelan was fired after conflicts with senior Pentagon leadership over shipbuilding, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday.

Phelan's dismissal, first reported by Reuters, was the latest wartime ‌shakeup at ⁠the ⁠Pentagon.

"He's a hard charger, and he had some conflicts ​with some other people, mostly as to building and buying ​new ships," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "Got to get along, especially in the ​military, got to get along, you ⁠know. And ‌some people liked him, some ​people didn't, ​and that's usually the truth about ⁠everything."


Also read: US Navy Secretary John Phelan leaves his job, marks latest departure of a top defense leader

Sources, who spoke on condition of ​anonymity, previously told Reuters that Phelan ​was dismissed in part because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to speed shipbuilding and because he had fallen out with key Pentagon leadership.

The latest departure comes ‌during a tense ceasefire with Iran, as the U.S. flows more naval assets into ​the Middle ​East.

The ⁠Pentagon has not provided a reason for Phelan's departure, nor did it say whether it was Phelan's decision ​to go.

A billionaire seen as having close ties to Trump, Phelan is the first administration-picked service secretary to be fired since Trump came back into office last year.