Navy Secretary John Phelan Departs; Hung Cao Named Acting Secretary
Pentagon says John Phelan is leaving effective immediately; Undersecretary Hung Cao becomes acting Navy secretary amid Navy blockade of Iranian ports and a series of Pentagon shakeups.
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Overview
The Pentagon announced Wednesday that Navy Secretary John Phelan is departing the administration effective immediately and Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve as acting secretary, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
Phelan's abrupt exit, which Reuters reported was a firing, comes as the Navy enforces a blockade of Iranian ports and after Phelan spoke at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space symposium, officials said.
The move follows a series of Pentagon shakeups under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who began removing senior leaders in February 2025 and asked Gen. Randy George to step down on April 2, officials said.
Phelan was confirmed as Navy secretary in March 2025 by a 62-30 vote, was the 79th service secretary and had no prior military service, while Hegseth has dismissed over a dozen generals and admirals, reports said.
Hung Cao, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and 25-year veteran who deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, will lead the Navy in an acting capacity while the Pentagon gave no reason for Phelan's departure, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as evidence of turmoil and politicization at the Pentagon, editorially emphasizing turnover with words like "abruptly," "shakeups" and "firings" and stressing Phelan's outsider/donor status. They also foreground controversial quotes from Cao as source content, amplifying perceived ideological implications.