SECNAV Nominee Meets with Senator Wicker

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today met with President-elect Donald J. Trump’s nominee to be the 79th Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan.

In the meeting, Chairman Wicker and Mr. Phelan discussed current shipbuilding and maintenance challenges, the need for accountability in the Navy, and the Chairman’s vision for a larger and more innovative U.S. Navy.

“I appreciated the opportunity to meet with John Phelan, President Trump’s selection to lead the Department of the Navy. We had a good discussion about rapidly improving American strength on the seas and building a skilled manufacturing workforce to support our sailors and marines,” Senator Wicker said. “Mr. Phelan would bring impressive business and management experience, as well as real enthusiasm for solving the Navy’s hardest problems, to the job. I look forward to leading his confirmation hearing.”

John Phelan is a longtime private equity executive and business leader, who serves on several charitable boards including the Spirit For America, an organization tasked with supporting U.S. troops abroad.