Navy Secretary John Phelan Exits Administration

Navy Secretary John Phelan will time off nan Trump administration “effective immediately,” main Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced Wednesday, marking nan latest departure of a apical defense official this year.

“On behalf of nan Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his work to nan Department and nan United States Navy,” Parnell said successful a statement posted connected X.

It was not instantly clear why Phelan will beryllium departing his post. Parnell said that nan caller acting Secretary of nan Navy will beryllium Undersecretary Hung Cao.

Phelan’s departure comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forced retired the Army’s apical serviceman and 2 different Army generals earlier this month.

Hegseth ousted nan Army main of Staff, Gen. Randy George. Parnell later confirmed George’s departure, saying nan apical serviceman would beryllium “retiring from his position…effective immediately.”

Hegseth has removed aggregate elder officials he believes are associated pinch erstwhile administrations. George was elder subject adjunct to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who served successful erstwhile President Joe Biden’s cabinet. George’s firing was successful portion a consequence of a brewing turf warfare betwixt Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

Hegseth has fired galore officials since starting his tenure successful 2025.

Last year, he fired Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who headed nan Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, aft an first appraisal by nan agency recovered that U.S. strikes connected Iranian atomic accommodation were not arsenic extended arsenic President Donald Trump had indicated.

Hegseth besides fired Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield; Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown Jr.; Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh; Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti; and caput of nan Coast Guard, Adm. Linda Fagan.

Phelan's departure comes amid nan U.S.' naval blockade of Iran. Trump has seized 2 ships successful nan strait, which Iran has called a usurpation of nan precarious ceasefire betwixt nan 2 countries. White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said connected Fox News Wednesday that nan seizure was not a usurpation because they were "international vessels," and insisted nan blockade has been "massively effective."