Resignation of US Navy Secretary John Phelan Sparks Leadership Shake-Up

Fri Apr 24 2026 01:09:24 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

John Phelan has left his position as Secretary of the Navy, effective immediately, amidst growing tensions within the military leadership under the Trump administration. His departure highlights ongoing challenges related to the Navy's shipbuilding initiatives.

US Navy Secretary John Phelan has resigned from his post, effective immediately, as announced by the Pentagon. Phelan's exit follows a series of recent high-profile departures within the military, coinciding with ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. His replacement, Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao, will take over temporarily while the administration navigates the challenges of military leadership amidst geopolitical tensions.

US Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving the Trump administration, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.

His departure will be 'effective immediately', Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post. Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve on an acting basis in the role, which is largely administrative.

Phelan is the latest high-ranking military leader to leave the administration in recent months. His departure comes amid the US-Israel war with Iran and the continued US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Navy has not provided a reason. His exit came after tension within the American leadership over issues around shipbuilding, according to unconfirmed reports in US media.

'On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy,' Parnell wrote. 'We wish him well in his future endeavors.'

It comes just weeks after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Randy George to step down from his post.

Two other Army officials, Gen David Hodne and Maj Gen William Green, have also been removed from their roles recently.

Since entering the Pentagon, Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior military officers, including the chief of naval operations and the Air Force's vice chief of staff.

Phelan was ousted from his job after he, too, ended up clashing with Hegseth over the implementation of Trump's shipbuilding initiative, according to sources who spoke to multiple news outlets.

Phelan's replacement, Cao, became undersecretary in October 2025 and is a 25-year Navy veteran. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for the US Senate in Virginia in 2024, endorsed by Trump, against incumbent Democratic Senator Tim Kaine.

The Navy's change in leadership comes as Trump said the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue amid a ceasefire in the war. Clashes have continued in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route that supplies much of the globe's oil.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president is 'satisfied' with the ongoing US naval blockade on Iranian ports, and 'understands Iran is in a very weak position'.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the US, said on Wednesday that it is 'not possible' for the Strait of Hormuz to be re-opened due to 'the blatant violations of the ceasefire' by the US and Israel.