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Pentagon announces immediate departure of Navy Secretary
The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed Wednesday that Navy Secretary John Phelan has left his post with immediate effect, marking the latest high-level exit from the Trump administration. Hung Cao, the Navy's undersecretary, will assume the role on an acting basis.
Leadership shake-up follows internal tensions
Phelan's exit follows reports of friction within the administration over President Donald Trump's shipbuilding priorities. Unconfirmed accounts in U.S. media suggest disagreements over the implementation of Trump's naval expansion plans contributed to his removal.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has overseen a wave of senior military departures since taking office, including the Army chief of staff and the Air Force's vice chief of staff. At least a dozen top officials have been replaced.
Phelan's tenure and Trump's naval ambitions
A civilian with no prior military service, Phelan was appointed Navy secretary in March 2025 after Trump nominated him the previous year. A prominent donor to Trump's campaign, Phelan publicly supported the president's vision for a revamped "Golden Fleet," including a new class of battleships bearing Trump's name.
Andrew Peek, a former State Department official, told the BBC that Phelan's departure likely stemmed from stalled progress on expanding the U.S. merchant and civilian fleet. "Someone was going to take the fall for the lack of movement," Peek said, adding that political loyalty may have also played a role.
Successor brings military experience and MAGA ties
Hung Cao, Phelan's replacement, is a 25-year Navy veteran who joined the administration as undersecretary in October 2025. A Trump-endorsed candidate, Cao ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Virginia in 2024, where he criticized the military's diversity initiatives and called for more aggressive recruitment strategies.
"What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds. Those are the young men and women that are going to win wars."
Hung Cao, during a 2024 Senate campaign debate (AP)
Broader context: Blockade and regional tensions
The leadership change coincides with ongoing U.S. naval operations in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route. Trump has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports despite a ceasefire in the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran. Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, accused the U.S. and Israel of "blatant violations" of the truce and declared the strait's reopening "not possible."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump is "satisfied" with the blockade, asserting that Iran is in a "very weak position." Meanwhile, Iran claims to have seized two ships in the strait, escalating tensions in the region.
What's next
The Navy's administrative role-overseeing policy, budgeting, and shipbuilding-will now fall to Cao as acting secretary. Observers will watch whether his appointment signals a shift in the administration's approach to naval strategy and recruitment.
