US Navy Secretary Phelan Fired as Naval Blockade of Iran Continues
The ouster follows months of tension over shipbuilding reforms, direct contact with Trump and an ethics inquiry, officials said.
- On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that Navy Secretary John Phelan would depart 'effective immediately,' marking the second major leadership shake-up at the Pentagon during the ongoing war with Iran.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly fired Phelan following months of friction over shipbuilding reform speed and Phelan's direct communication with President Donald Trump, which Hegseth viewed as circumventing his authority.
- Phelan and Hegseth clashed over a federal judge's ruling regarding Senator Mark Kelly, while Trump grew frustrated with Phelan's progress on an aggressive, 'nearly impossible' shipbuilding schedule.
- Undersecretary Hung Cao will assume the role of Acting Secretary of the Navy, though President Trump called Phelan a 'long time friend' and expressed hope he might return to the administration.
- Phelan's departure fits a broader pattern of Pentagon leadership turnover, where Hegseth has dismissed roughly 34 military officers in 15 months amid intense pressure to modernize the Navy's fleet.
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John Phelan had come to his Navy post as a major donor to Donald Trump. He promised the president a "golden fleet" – and lost the power struggle with the Secretary of Defense.
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Susan Collins ‘disappointed’ after Pete Hegseth’s firing of top Navy official
WASHINGTON — Navy Secretary John Phelan was fired in another wartime Pentagon shakeup that led U.S. Sen. Susan Collins to say she was disappointed he was leaving the post. The Pentagon announced his departure in a brief statement, saying he was leaving the administration “effective immediately.” But it did not provide a reason or say whether it was his decision to go. His firing was first reported by Reuters. A U.S. official and a person familia…
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