The Chief of the US Navy, John Fallon, has unexpectedly stepped down
The Pentagon unexpectedly announced on Wednesday that US Navy Secretary John Fallon is stepping down. No reason was given for his departure, according to The Associated Press.
This comes as the US Navy has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and is targeting vessels linked to Tehran around the world during a fragile ceasefire in the war. Acting as head of the US Navy will be Deputy Secretary Gung Kao, a 25-year veteran of active service in the US Navy who unsuccessfully stood for election to the Senate and the House of Representatives from the state of Virginia.
Falan’s departure marks yet another personnel change in the Pentagon’s senior leadership. This comes a few weeks after Defence Secretary Pete Hagset dismissed the US Army’s chief of staff, General Randy George. Since Pete Hagseth took office last year, he has also dismissed several other generals, admirals and senior defence officials.
The series of dismissals began in February 2025, when Pete Hagseth removed military leaders from their posts, including Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the senior female officer in the US Navy, and General Jim Slife, the second-ranking officer in the US Air Force. Donald Trump also dismissed General Charles “C.Q.” Brown Jr. from his post as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The suddenness of this decision is evidenced by the fact that as recently as Tuesday, John Fallon was speaking to a large audience of sailors and industry representatives at the US Navy’s annual conference in Washington and discussing his agenda with journalists. Furthermore, according to a post by his office on social media, he had met with leaders of the US House Armed Services Committee to discuss the US Navy’s budget request and efforts to build more ships.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated in a post on X that John Fallon “is leaving the administration, effective immediately”.
John Fallon was a major donor to Donald Trump
Before Donald Trump nominated him for the post in late 2024, John Fallon had not served in the military nor held civilian leadership positions in the US Navy. He was seen as an outsider brought in to bring about change in the US Navy.
John Fallon was a major donor to Donald Trump’s election campaign and founded the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. According to his biography, his main connection to the military sphere came through an advisory role at Spirit of America, a non-profit organisation that supported the defence of Ukraine and Taiwan.
The Associated Press was unable to immediately obtain a comment from John Falan’s office. The White House did not respond to questions and instead sent a link to a statement by Sean Parnell.
John Fallon is stepping down at a tense time for the US Navy. Three American aircraft carriers are currently deployed in the Middle East or en route there, whilst Donald Trump’s administration states that all armed forces are ready to resume combat operations against Iran should the ceasefire end.
The US Navy also maintains a significant presence in the Caribbean, where it is involved in a campaign of strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels. It also played a key role in the detention of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
The new acting head of the US Navy previously ran unsuccessfully for Congress
The acting secretary will be Gung Kao, who unsuccessfully ran for the US Senate from the state of Virginia in 2024, attempting to defeat Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. He had Donald Trump’s backing in the crowded Republican primaries and spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
His biography states that as a child in the 1970s, he fled Vietnam with his family. In a campaign video during his Senate campaign, he compared the communist regime in Vietnam during the Cold War to the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden.
During the only debate with Tim Kaine, Gung Kao criticised the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for service personnel, as well as the military’s efforts in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“When you use drag queens to recruit for the US Navy, those aren’t the people we want,” said Gung Kao from the debate stage. “We need alpha males and alpha females who will rip their guts out, eat them and ask for seconds. It is precisely these young men and women who will win wars.”
Donald Trump and Pete Hagseth have repeatedly spoken out against DEI in the military, banned such practices and sacked people accused of supporting these programmes.
During his 2022 campaign for Congress in Virginia, Hung Kao also opposed aid to Ukraine. In a debate with his Democratic opponent, he said: “My heart goes out to the Ukrainian people. ... But right now we are borrowing $55 billion from China to pay for the war in Ukraine. Not only that, we are depleting our national strategic reserves.”
Gung Kao graduated from the prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, and then enrolled at the US Naval Academy.
He was commissioned as a special operations officer and subsequently served with the SEALs and special forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. He retired with the rank of captain, according to his Senate campaign biography.
Gung Kao also holds a master’s degree in physics and undertook internships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
Following his appointment as Deputy Secretary of the US Navy, he advocated for the reinstatement of service members who refused to comply with the COVID-19 vaccination requirement introduced under Joe Biden.
