Harrison and Phelan had backed Hegseth’s initiatives to implement new military policies, cancel external contracts, and reassign aides involved in onboarding Cao earlier this week. “Jon Harrison will no longer serve as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Navy. We are grateful for his service to the Department,” a Department of War official told The Hill.
Harrison’s dismissal was first reported by Politico. Before serving as chief of staff, he had been appointed by President Trump in 2020 to the United States Arctic Research Commission, where he served as chairman until spring 2021.
The Arctic was an early strategic focus for the Trump administration, with President Trump raising the possibility of acquiring Greenland and Vice President Vance visiting the Danish territory in March to underline its resource value. This attention culminated in a June push to reopen 13 million acres of Arctic land to potential oil and gas drilling, reversing restrictions imposed during the Biden administration.
Also on Friday, a federal judge ruled that the Biden administration had overreached by indefinitely halting new drilling along large sections of the U.S. coast—a decision welcomed by major oil and gas groups.
Source: The Hill.
