Trump has decided to appoint a man far removed from the military as commander of the US Navy

Donald Trump, the US President-elect, has nominated businessman John Phelan to head the US Navy. The Senate, which will have a Republican majority next year, must approve his nomination. Presumably, Trump's fellow party members will support their leader. Phelan's nomination became known from Trump's official Telegram channel.

In doing so, Trump indicated that Phelan would be "an extraordinary force for our Navy and an unyielding leader in implementing his 'America First' policy."

John's intelligence and leadership skills are unmatched. John holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is truly a brilliant guy! His incredible knowledge and experience will lift the lives of the brave Americans who serve our country," Trump wrote.

What is known about Phelan is that he is the founder and principal of Rugger Management LLC, a private equity firm based in Florida. He previously served as managing partner at MSD Capital, an investment firm.

Phelan has no military experience, which has already alerted many experts.

Phelan is a major donor to the Republican Party. He actively gave money to Trump's campaign and is believed to be partially sponsoring the work of his transition administration. He is known to have donated more than $834,000 to Trump's joint committee in April and in August hosted the Republican at his home in Aspen, Colorado, during one of his fundraisers.

A native of Coral Gables, Florida, Phelan graduated from Southern Methodist University and earned an MBA from Harvard.

He and his wife have a daughter, socialite Mackenzie Moon Phelan, and serve on the board of directors of several museums.