Pyne’s AUKUS summit stunned by sudden sacking of Trump’s navy boss |
Pyne’s AUKUS summit stunned by sudden sacking of Trump’s navy boss
April 23, 2026 — 3:29pm
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Washington: News that the now-former US Navy Secretary John Phelan had been unceremoniously sacked spread like wildfire through Christopher Pyne’s annual AUKUS conference in Washington.
Many attendees at the defence lobbyist’s $5000-a-head summit did not yet know about the ousting when they arrived for an exclusive dinner at the Cosmos Club on Wednesday evening (US time).
Australian Navy chief Mark Hammond, who in July will become chief of the Australian Defence Force, had met Phelan earlier in the day, along with US Indo-Pacific Commander Sam Paparo.
It appeared the US Navy boss had no idea he was about to be made to walk the plank.
Still, it was not entirely unexpected. One well-placed US source indicated Phelan’s dismissal had been a long time coming, such was the animosity between him and the top dogs at the Pentagon and the White House.
Forget Trump. On AUKUS, it’s the next president we must worry about
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