Pentagon infighting over Iran war strategy

Pentagon infighting has intensified amid the Iran war, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth firing Navy Secretary John Phelan after just over a year. According to Politico, Hegseth was 'seriously disappointed' with Phelan's push to build massive, expensive battleships named after Donald Trump, arguing that spending billions on giant warships while adversaries use cheap drones makes no sense. Hegseth and Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg want a shift toward smaller, unmanned vessels. The friction escalated when Phelan cultivated a direct line to Trump by championing his 'Golden Fleet' vision, which Hegseth viewed as a breach of the chain of command. Phelan's firing is the second senior military departure since the Iran war began, following the dismissal of the Army Chief of Staff.