The Secretary of the Navy John Phelan on was fired by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday.
Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced.
Full statement from Sean Parnell:
Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately.
On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy.
We wish him well in his future endeavors.
Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy.
STATEMENT:
Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately.
On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy.
We wish…
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) April 22, 2026
Fox News later confirmed that Phelan was indeed fired.
🚨 NEW: Navy Secretary John Phelan has just been ‘FIRED’, reports Fox’s @JacquiHeinrich pic.twitter.com/8yT324P8mT
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) April 22, 2026
Phelan’s departure from the administration comes amid a US Naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
Wednesday’s firing is part of the latest shakeup at the Pentagon.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth earlier this month ordered Army Chief of Staff General Randy George to step down.
Last summer, Hegseth fired the general in charge of the agency that released the dubious ‘top secret’ intelligence assessment about the US’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse was fired as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Last year, Hegseth formally terminated the service of every member sitting on the Department of Defense’s advisory committees.
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