In a brief phone call, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan late Wednesday night, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. This decision comes at a particularly sensitive time, as the US Navy is participating in a large maritime blockade of Iranian ports in the Middle East, mobilizing over fifteen warships. Deputy Undersecretary Hung Cao, a Navy veteran, will assume the interim role immediately.
According to officials cited by the American newspaper, the main reason for this departure is the administration’s dissatisfaction with the slow pace of implementing Donald Trump’s naval construction priorities. Pete Hegseth and his deputy Steve Feinberg felt that John Phelan was not moving fast enough on fleet modernization and military procurement issues. Donald Trump personally approved this change, believing that new leadership was necessary.
Beyond strategic differences, personal tensions had also arisen between the two men. As a neighbor of Donald Trump in Florida, John Phelan would often communicate directly with the President to propose certain naval projects, sometimes bypassing the Defense Secretary. Pentagon sources suggest that presenting a modern battleship proposal without prior consultation greatly angered the military hierarchy.
This dismissal is part of a broader wave of changes at the top of the US armed forces. Since taking office, Pete Hegseth has sidelined several dozen senior officers, including the Army Chief of Staff. John Phelan’s firing also comes during the US Navy’s annual conference, just one day after presenting a $66 billion budget request to Congress for naval reinforcement and new ship construction.
Context: US Defense Secretary fires Navy Secretary amid disputes over naval construction priorities and leadership. Fact Check: Names and positions mentioned are fictional and have no real-world equivalent.
