Secretary of the Navy John Phelan Thursday night said the Navy canceled almost $300 million in DOGE-identified information technology (IT) contracts as well as grants and awards for “non-essential activities.”
Phelan called the IT contracts “ineffective and over budget” while he also canceled 45 grants and awards for “non-essential activities,” he said in an X/Twitter post.
BREAKING: As Secretary of the Navy, I’m focused on ensuring accountability, cutting waste and strengthening our fighting forces.
Today, I’m canceling IT contracts that are ineffective and over-budget. I’m also canceling 45 grants and awards funding non-essential activities like… pic.twitter.com/0xazvaONoV
— Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan (@SECNAV) April 25, 2025
He cited one as studying the population consequences of disturbance of humpback whales in the context of climate change.
“I command the DOGE team for finding these opportunities to help save the Navy and increase our readiness and warfighting capability. Stay tuned–there’s more to come,” he added.
The Department of Government Efficiency is an Elon-Musk-led White House effort that renamed the former U.S. Digital Service to the U.S. DOGE Service.
This follows an April 22 video announcement he made on X/Twitter rescinding the Biden administration’s Navy climate action program, implemented by former Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro in 2022.
That earlier post argued “we need to focus on having a lethal and ready naval force, unimpeded by ideologically motivated regulations.”
Phelan did not explain what parts of the climate plan are ideologically motivated or impeding lethality.
It focused on both building resilience to changing climate conditions and impacts as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the Department of the Navy. This includes addressing shoreline erosion that could damage naval structures.
One section focused on having the Department of the Navy ensure energy resilience by deploying microgrids with pollution-free power generation and long-duration battery storage to aid continuity of operations.
It also planned to establish a standardized lithium version of a vehicle standard battery for more ground vehicle energy hybridization, which among other things can be charged via solar power “allowing silent operation when recharging, increasing warfighter flexibility and survivability.”
The plan also said that lithium battery work could help simplify logistics.