Jon Harrison was removed from his role as chief of staff to the Secretary of the Navy on Friday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The sudden ouster, according to two defense officials and a former defense official, follows the confirmation this week of Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao.

A Pentagon official confirmed Harrison’s exit to Newsweek , saying, “He will no longer serve as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Navy. We are grateful for his service to the Department.”

There was no comment from Harrison.

The Navy secretary’s chief of staff has traditionally been a behind-the-scenes job. But Harrison, a Trump administration appointee who joined the service in January, had a “rare level of power,” according to Politico.

Harrison and Navy Secretary John Phelan had introduced swe

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