Navy Secretary John Phelan Departs Abruptly

Secretary Phelan and family during his Senate confirmation hearing last year (CSPAN)

The Pentagon has announced the departure of Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan, an investor and prominent art collector who had served in the role since March 2025. No explanation was provided; Reuters reports that he was fired.

"Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately. . . . We are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy," said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement. "Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy.

Acting Secretary Hung Cao is a former U.S. Navy salvage diver and retired with the rank of captain in 2021. He is a longtime supporter of the president, and ran as a Republican candidate for the House (2022) and Senate (2024) with Trump's endorsement. His campaigns were not successful, but the president nominated him to the undersecretary post shortly after taking office. Last year, Politico reported on tensions between Phelan's staff and Cao, potentially in an attempt to sideline Cao and prevent the ascent of a competitor with closer personal ties to the president. Phelan denied any disunity at the top, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Phelan's top deputy shortly after.

Cao is the third person to hold the secretary's position since the beginning of the current Trump administration, after Phelan and former acting secretary Terrence Emmert. The first Trump administration had seven Navy secretaries (including acting), a record in the history of the post.