Navy Secretary John Phelan was fired, a source close to the matter said Wednesday. This is another wartime shake-up at the Pentagon, just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Chief of Staff Randy George.
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The Pentagon said in a statement that Phelan “is leaving the administration with immediate effect,” without offering further details. Reuters was the first outlet to report Phelan’s dismissal.
“On behalf of the Secretary of War and the Undersecretary of War, we thank Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy,” said Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell. “We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Undersecretary Hung Cao, the Navy’s second-highest civilian, will take over
Undersecretary Hung Cao, the Navy’s second-highest civilian, will take over as acting secretary, Parnell added.
On April 2, Hegseth fired the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, Randy George, without explanation. Two U.S. officials said the decision was related to tensions between Hegseth and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.
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The April dismissals add to recent instability at all levels of Pentagon leadership, including last year’s dismissal of former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, as well as the chief of naval operations and the deputy chief of staff of the Air Force.
This latest departure comes during a tense ceasefire with Iran, as the United States deploys more naval resources to the Middle East.
The U.S. military relies on its naval resources to enforce a blockade on Iran, with which President Donald Trump hopes to pressure Tehran to negotiate an end to the conflict on his terms.
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