WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 27: John Phelan, of Florida, to be Secretary of the Navy, testifies before a Senate Armed Services Hearings to examine his nomination at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on February 27, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by R …
The secretary of the U.S. Navy "is departing the administration, effective immediately," the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.
Sean Parnell, the assistant to the Defense Department’s Public Affairs, shared the departure on his X account.
What they're saying:
"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," the post read.
No reason was given for Phelan's departure.
Big picture view:
Phelan’s departure is the latest in a series of shakeups of top leadership at the Pentagon, just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth also has fired several other top generals, admirals and other defense leaders since taking office last year.
Showing how sudden the latest move was, Phelan the day before had addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington and spoke with reporters about his agenda.
Who is Undersecretary Hung Cao?
Cao ran a failed U.S. Senate bid in Virginia to try to unseat Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in 2024. He had Trump’s endorsement in the crowded Republican primary.
Cao is a 25-year Navy veteran who served in combat zones. His biography includes fleeing Vietnam with his family as a child in the 1970s. In a campaign video for his Senate bid, he compared Vietnam’s communist regime during the Cold War to the administration of President Joe Biden.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from an X post published on Sean Parnell’s account on April 22, 2026 and reporting by The Associated Press. This story was reported from San Jose.