Navy Secretary John Phelan has been dismissed, according to a US official, as reported on Wednesday.
This marks another significant change in leadership at the Pentagon during wartime, occurring just weeks after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth removed the Army’s top general.
The Pentagon confirmed his exit in a short statement, indicating that he was leaving the administration effective immediately. However, no reason was provided, nor was it clarified whether the decision to leave was his own.
Sources, who requested anonymity, indicated that Phelan was let go partly due to his slow progress in implementing reforms aimed at accelerating shipbuilding within the US Navy, as well as his deteriorating relationships with key figures in Pentagon leadership.
One source mentioned poor relations with Hegseth, Hegseth’s deputy, Steve Feinberg, and the Navy’s second-highest civilian official, Hung Cao, who the Pentagon announced will now serve as the acting Navy secretary.
Additionally, the source referenced an ethics investigation involving Phelan’s office.
Phelan, a billionaire with close connections to President Donald Trump, is the first service secretary appointed by the administration to be dismissed since Trump resumed office last year.
Rising tensions amid the Pentagon leadership
His exit is part of a larger pattern of turmoil at various levels of leadership within the Pentagon under Hegseth’s oversight, which includes the previous dismissal of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown, as well as the chief of naval operations and the Air Force vice chief of staff.
On April 2, Hegseth terminated Army Chief of Staff Randy George without providing a reason. Two US officials indicated that this decision was linked to rising tensions between Hegseth and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.
The US Navy chief’s dismissal comes amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran, as the US increases its naval presence in the Middle East.
The US military is depending on naval forces to enforce a blockade against Iran, which President Donald Trump hopes will force Tehran to negotiate an end to the conflict on his terms.
Read more: ‘I have ordered US Navy to attack any Iranian boat,’ says Trump
