A surprise shake-up in the U.S. Navy's leadership this week added to some of the biggest churn in memory at top levels of the Pentagon, where positions ranging from the secretary of defense to the heads of military branches have seen jolting turnover.
Adm. Bill Moran, who was expected to take over as the navy's top officer next month, announced late on Sunday he would instead retire after what Navy Secretary Richard Spencer called poor judgment regarding a professional relationship.
The decision throws the leadership of the navy into question just weeks after the U.S. Army reshuffled its most senior jobs after its top civilian, Mark Esper, was named acting U.S. defense secretary on June 18.