Lawmakers in both parties are raising alarms about the abrupt ouster of Navy Secretary John Phelan, with some Republicans questioning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership and Democrats warning of mounting chaos inside the Pentagon.

Phelan’s sudden departure came without explanation amid broader Pentagon infighting and shake-ups during the active conflict with Iran. It left lawmakers scrambling for answers about the direction of Navy leadership.

The upheaval could be a major point of tension for Hegseth when he appears before the House Armed Services Committee next week. He was already set to face questions over the removal of the Army’s long-serving and well-respected chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, among other senior officers.

“I’m concerned that the secretary of defense is more interested in having people that just say ‘yes’ than they are in having people that give their honest opinion,” said Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican on the panel. He called Hegseth’s firing of George “reckless.”

Adding to the uncertainty is the elevation of acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, a retired Navy captain and former GOP candidate in Virginia known for his hard-line conservative views. It’s unclear how he’ll differ from Phelan as the Navy’s chief civilian, and whether he’ll take a different approach to management of the Navy’s strained shipbuilding agenda.

Defense Department leaders are currently testifying in budget hearings to defend President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget request, which includes $377.5 billion for the Navy.

Trump, who is fascinated by ships and shipbuilding, is also pushing for an ambitious and high-profile expansion of the Navy’s fleet, including plans for new classes of ships and a major buildup of the maritime industrial base.

The marquee “Trump-class” battleship in the president’s “Golden Fleet” plan is supposed to be 100 times more powerful than previous battleships and larger than any other surface combatant. Analysts have said the ships, which would cost $9 billion each to build, will likely never become a reality.

Trump’s vision is also running headlong into long-standing constraints: U.S. shipyards are struggling with labor shortages and supply chain bottlenecks, and there are years-long delays in major projects, from submarines to aircraft carriers.

Rep. Rob Wittman, the vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee and a leading voice on naval policy, said Phelan had been grappling with the administration’s goals, calling the job “very challenging.” He said Phelan’s exit was “somewhat unexpected.”

“We had some very candid conversations, and he, I think, understood the challenges that he faced, and he was having conversations with Deputy Secretary [Stephen] Feinberg, with Secretary Hegseth,” Wittman said. “So no, I didn’t detect anything where there was a tension or a situation where he was at odds with them.”

House Seapower Chair Trent Kelly, who was similarly surprised, pointed to the administration’s aggressive shipbuilding agenda, suggesting Phelan’s ouster might reflect a mismatch with Trump’s expectations. “I think the president has clear and defined goals,” Kelly said, adding that “they just may not have aligned completely.”

Rep. Eugene Vindman, an Army veteran and Virginia Democrat, suggested Phelan may have been made a scapegoat for an unrealistic agenda but argued that “ultimately Pete Hegseth is responsible.” The leadership churn is a curveball for troops, he warned.

“You need a steady hand, you need some predictability,” Vindman said. “We have troops in contact, and the president and secretary don’t seem to realize that we’re in a conflict where Americans’ lives and national security are at stake.”

Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed called Phelan’s ouster “troubling.”

“I am concerned it is yet another example of the instability and dysfunction that have come to define the Department of Defense under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth,” Reed said in a statement.