John Phelan, an investor and businessman without any military background, has been appointed as the future Secretary of the Navy by President-elect Donald Trump.
Should Phelan be approved, he would become the first Navy chief in 15 years to have no prior military experience.
He acknowledged that he has not served and told NBC News on Wednesday that he was really honored to be chosen by Trump, but he would not elaborate.
Trump praised Phelan’s track record in a statement Tuesday evening, claiming that he has succeeded in all of his undertakings, including starting and running Rugger Management LLC, a Palm Beach, Florida-based private investment firm.
Additionally, he asserted that the Harvard Business School graduate’s leadership and intelligence are unparalleled.
According to Trump, John will be a strong advocate for our Naval Service members and a resolute leader in furthering his America First philosophy. He will prioritize the U.S. Navy’s operations.
In his capacity as the 79th Navy Secretary, Phelan would be in charge of approximately 900,000 employees and a budget over $210 billion annually.
According to their biographies from Naval History and Heritage Command, the past eight individuals to hold the title since 2009 were either Coast Guard, Army, Marine Corps, or Navy personnel.
According to the Military Times, veterans have made up 20 of the 26 confirmed Navy secretaries over the past 70 years.
According to his Navy biography, Phelan would be replacing Carlos Del Toro, who had been in the Navy for almost 20 years and had completed multiple tours of service at sea.
Trump declared on November 12 that he would appoint war veteran and former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. Hegseth served overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantnamo Bay, Cuba, as a captain in the Army National Guard.
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