John C. Phelan is leaving the administration, “effective immediately,” the Pentagon has announced
US Navy Secretary John C. Phelan has stepped down in an abrupt move announced by the Pentagon without any public explanation or indication that his exit was linked to the naval blockade of Iran.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that Phelan was “departing the administration” at once and that Undersecretary Hung Cao would become acting secretary of the Navy.
“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. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” Parnell said in the statement, which was reposted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. No reason for Phelan’s departure was included in the announcement.
STATEMENT: Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately.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. We wish…
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) April 22, 2026Phelan, a businessman and investor with no prior military service, was sworn in as the 79th secretary of the Navy on March 25, 2025, after being nominated by President Donald Trump. He had overseen the Department of the Navy for just over a year.
READ MORE: Trump extends Iran ceasefire, warns of force if blockade fails to yield deal: As it happened
The sudden personnel change comes at a sensitive moment for US naval operations in the Middle East, where Washington is maintaining a blockade on Iranian ports. The confrontation in and around the Strait of Hormuz remains active despite an extended ceasefire and stalled diplomacy.
Read more Hegseth fires top US Army officer in ‘race and gender’ row – NYTis not directly responsible for authorizing combat operations, which under US law flow through the president, the defense secretary and the relevant combatant commander. But the Navy secretary oversees the Department of the Navy’s core affairs, meaning Phelan would likely have been involved in readiness, deployments and policy execution during the standoff with Iran.
Cao, who had been serving as undersecretary of the Navy, will now take over in an acting capacity. Phelan had previously praised him as a key part of the department’s effort to rebuild the “warrior ethos” and improve quality of service across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Phelan’s departure also comes just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forced out Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and two other senior Army generals in a separate Pentagon shake-up.
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