President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Navy is Mr John Phelan, who is a businessman and investor. The Times of India reported that he was a strong campaigner for the re-election of President Trump and personally donated over $US800,000 to his Presidential campaign.
President Trump said, “John will be a tremendous force for our Naval Service members, and a steadfast leader in advancing my America First vision…“He will put the business of the US Navy above all else.”
If confirmed, Mr Phelan will be the 79th Secretary of the Navy and the first incumbent in 15 years to lead the Navy without having served in any branch of the armed forces. Historically nominees have been approved by Congress between May and October of the inauguration year.
Born in 1964, Mr Phelan is the Founder and Chairman of Rugger Management LLC. Previously he was Managing Partner and Co-Founder of MSD Capital, LP, the private investment firm for Mr Michael Dell, Founder and CEO of Dell Technologies. Mr Phelan also serves on the Board of Trustees at the Whitney Museum of American Art and at the Aspen Art Museum, the Board of Dean’s Advisors for the Harvard Business School, the Investment Committee for the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Endowment, and the North American Advisory Board for the London School of Economics. Mr Phelan is also on the board of theSpirit of America. This is non-profit, a non-partisan group with a mission to support American troops abroadthat has also supported troops in Ukraine.
Mr Phelan received an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics and Political Science from SMU. He holds a General Course degree with an emphasis in Economics and International Relations from the London School of Economics.
The Acting Secretary of the Navy is Mr Terence Emmert. He served as the Principal Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Mission Capabilities in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. In that role, he supervised an organization whose mission is to accelerate the development and integration of new technology to maintain United States’ technological superiority. His responsibilities included identifying, incubating, and transitioning to the Military Services technologies, systems, and system of systems that close time-critical gaps in high-priority missions.
Mr. Emmett’s thirty-plus years of public and private service began as a naval aviator, where he served aboard various combatant ships. During this time, he was introduced to the acquisition process while serving in the US Navy’s operational test agency. Following his military service, he entered the private sector and pursued positions focused on improving engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain operations. His industry experience includes microelectronics, data storage systems and software, commercial aerospace, and building materials.
Mr. Emmert is a 1988 graduate of the US Naval Academy and has a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a Master of Science in Business Administration, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.
