Overview

• On July 10, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth officially withdrew Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly’s nomination for vice admiral and commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet despite its Senate confirmation.
• Renewed criticism focused on Morale, Welfare and Recreation–sponsored drag shows aboard USS Ronald Reagan during Donnelly’s April 2016 to September 2018 command.
• President Trump nominated Donnelly for the Seventh Fleet on June 18 and the Senate approved the promotion by voice vote on June 29.
• Hegseth thanked Donnelly for his service and said he will remain in his current post pending reassignment while the Pentagon conducts an open search.
• The Seventh Fleet, based in Yokosuka, Japan, oversees U.S. naval operations across the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans and now awaits new leadership.