The U.S. Navy has replaced the admiral in charge of the Office of Naval Research with a civilian who has reportedly worked as a Department of Government Efficiency staffer, according to the service.
Rear Adm. Kurt. Rothenhaus, who has served as chief of naval research since June 2023, has been reassigned and replaced by Rachel Riley, who most recently acted as a senior adviser for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a Navy public affairs official confirmed in an emailed statement Thursday.
Riley worked at HHS as part of DOGE, the The New York Times previously reported, a job her LinkedIn profile shows her holding since January 2025.
“We thank RADM Rothenhaus for his service as he is enroute to his next assignment,” the Navy public affairs official said. “We do not have additional information to share at this time.”
It’s unclear when Rothenhaus was reassigned or when Riley took over the position. It’s also unknown what position Rothenhaus has been reassigned to.
Prior to his role as chief of naval research, Rothenhaus served as program executive officer for Command Control Computers Communications and Intelligence, according to his Navy biography.
Riley previously worked as a partner at the consulting firm McKinsey before her time at HHS, according to the Navy public affairs official.
The public affairs official said Riley “brings deep acquisition, technology, and organizational expertise to the job,” and that the Navy was “pleased to welcome her to the team.”
HHS confirmed Riley’s migration to her new role at the Office of Naval Research, which oversees research for the Navy and Marine Corps with a budget of over $2 billion.
“We appreciate the work Rachel Riley did for HHS to improve and right size the agency across its structure, programs, and grants,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Rich Danker in an emailed statement.
Riley reportedly led a September charge to fire almost 8,000 HHS employees, according to Politico, which uncovered the massive number after reviewing an HHS document.
The department reportedly laid off 1,760 employees earlier this month, only to later rescind several hundred of those firings after a coding error. As of Saturday, HHS is in the process of firing 954 department employees.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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