The United States Senate on Monday afternoon confirmed John Phelan, a businessman and art collector, as the 79th Secretary of the United States Navy in a bipartisan 62-30 vote.
All 51 Republican senators voted for Phelan, as well as 11 Democrat senators, including the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed (RI) — a notable feat during a time of heightened political contentiousness between Democrats and the Trump administration.
Phelan is a Harvard Business School graduate and founder of the successful private investment firm Rugger Management LLC.
Although Phelan has not served in the military, he is expected to bring his vast business expertise and acumen to help fix the Navy’s many problems in ship building and maintenance.
At his February 27 confirmation hearing, Phelan said the Navy was at a “crossroads,” with extended deployments,…
