Trump picks John Phelan, a businessman with no military experience, to be secretary of the Navy

Written by Melissa Chan
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 “greatly honored” to be chosen by Trump, but he would not elaborate.

Trump praised Phelan’s “record of success” in a statement Tuesday evening, saying that he has “excelled in every endeavor,” including starting and running the Palm Beach, Florida-based private investment business Rugger Management LLC.

The Harvard Business School alumnus’ “intelligence and leadership are unmatched,” he added.

Trump declared that John would be a strong leader in furthering his America First goal and a powerful force for our Naval Servicemembers. “He will prioritize the U.S. Navy’s business over all else.”

In his role as the 79th secretary of the Navy, Phelan would be in charge of over 900,000 employees and a budget over $210 billion annually.

Based on their biographies from Naval History and Heritage Command, the past eight individuals to hold the title since 2009 were either in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard.

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 Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as a captain in the Army National Guard.