Navy Secretary John Phelan will leave the Trump administration “effective immediately,” the Pentagon announced Wednesday, marking the latest departure of a top defense official this year.
“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,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
Parnell did not provide a reason for Phelan’s exit, but said that the new acting Navy secretary will be Undersecretary Hung Cao.
The abrupt firing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came after mounting tensions between Phelan and Hegseth and the Pentagon’s No. 2, Stephen Feinberg, according to multiple officials and others familiar with the relationship.
There were a number of issues between the men, but the speed and approach Phelan was taking when it came to shipbuilding, a challenge in which President Trump has taken a personal interest, appears to have been the main reason for the firing, multiple people said.
They clashed not only on shipbuilding, but also the Golden Fleet, Trump’s signature naval initiative, as well as the deployment of ships around the world. Feinberg had wrested some decision making on shipbuilding away from Phelan, according to two officials familiar with the matter.
NBC News could not immediately reach Phelan for comment. The Pentagon responded to a request for comment by referring back to Parnell’s statement.
Phelan’s ouster comes amid the U.S. naval blockade of Iran. The American military has seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has called a violation of the precarious ceasefire between the two countries. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News Wednesday that the seizure was not a violation because they were “international vessels,” and insisted the blockade has been “massively effective.”
Firing the head of the Navy when the U.S. is enforcing a naval blockade caught members of Congress and Pentagon officials by surprise. By Wednesday evening, there were differing accounts from administration officials about Phelan’s firing.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth agreed new leadership at the Navy is needed,” according to the official. “Secretary Hegseth informed John Phelan of this news prior to it being made public.”
Despite the dismissal, Phelan’s tenure included moves favorable to the Trump administration.
Last December, Phelan announced a new class of U.S. battleships, dubbing them “Trump-class battleships” while speaking at an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Earlier in the year, Phelan reversed the demotion of Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, who had been stripped of his rank in 2022 after an investigation found he behaved inappropriately during his time as White House physician. Jackson, who served under Trump and former President Barack Obama, called the investigation’s findings politically motivated at the time.
The Senate confirmed Phelan as Navy Secretary in a 62-30 vote in March 2025.
Lawmakers were surprised by the dismissal. Phelan had spent the greater part of the day on Capitol Hill discussing the nuts and bolts of shipbuilding, according to one official and one person familiar with the matter, and had no apparent idea he was about to be sacked.
There was no immediate response from Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who represents Mississippi, a major shipbuilding state.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the committee, expressed concern about the firing.
“Secretary Phelan’s abrupt dismissal is troubling,” Reed said in a statement. “I am concerned it is yet another example of the instability and dysfunction that have come to define the Department of Defense under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth.”
Phelan’s departure comes after Hegseth forced out the Army’s top officer and two other Army generals earlier this month.
Hegseth ousted Gen. Randy George, the Army chief of staff. Parnell later confirmed George’s departure, saying the top officer would be “retiring from his position ” effective immediately.”
Hegseth has removed multiple senior officials he believes are associated with previous administrations. George was senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who served in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet. George’s firing was in part a result of a brewing turf war between Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
Hegseth has fired numerous officials since starting his tenure in 2025.
Last year, he fired Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who headed the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, after an initial assessment by the agency found that U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities were not as extensive as Trump had indicated.
Hegseth also fired Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield; Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown Jr.; Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh; Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti; and head of the Coast Guard, Adm. Linda Fagan.
