John Phelan leaves the Pentagon after disagreements; he advocated major investment in new warships
The Secretary of the United States Navy, , was fired on Wednesday (22.Apr.2026) after disagreements with senior Pentagon leaders. The decision comes during the , against Iran, and 20 days after the Secretary of Defense, , removed the head of the Army, .
The Pentagon spokesman, , declared on “leaves the government, with immediate effect”without detailing the reasons.
“On behalf of the Secretary of War and the Under Secretary of War, we thank Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy. We wish him success in his future endeavors”says the statement. Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao takes over as acting secretary.
At the head of the US Navy, Phelan was one of the major, major investment in new warships, named as “Trump class”. However, according to the North American newspaper , Phelan’s tenure was marked by disagreements with senior Pentagon officials, including Hegseth.
The firing of the Secretary of the Navy reportedly caught some Pentagon and Congress officials by surprise. On Tuesday (April 21), Phelan on X visited the Capitol to talk to senators about topics such as the Navy’s budget.
Phelan was nominated by the President of the United States (Republican Party) for the post of secretary at the end of 2024. Before that, he managed a private investment fund based in Florida.
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