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US Navy Secretary Phelan to Leave Administration
(MENAFN) US Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan has been ousted from his post effective immediately, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday, marking the latest high-profile dismissal under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's turbulent leadership.
"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," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
Undersecretary Hung Cao will assume the role of acting Navy secretary, Parnell added.
Phelan had been nominated to the post by President Donald Trump and sailed through Senate confirmation in a 62-30 vote. At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, he had pledged to tackle recruitment and retention challenges while expanding the Navy's fleet.
Behind the abrupt departure, however, lies months of festering internal conflict. The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that Phelan was fired following sustained tensions with Hegseth. Three people with direct knowledge of the internal dynamics told the outlet that friction intensified over Phelan's unusually close relationship with Trump — a dynamic that rankled Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg.
The breaking point, sources told the Journal, came last fall when Phelan bypassed Hegseth entirely, pitching a modern battleship concept directly to Trump. In the months that followed, Hegseth and Feinberg allegedly moved to sideline Phelan by installing a new czar for submarine acquisition who reports directly to Feinberg — effectively cutting Phelan out of a core portfolio.
Phelan's exit is far from an isolated incident. In early April, the Pentagon announced the immediate retirement of Gen. Randy A. George as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army. More than a dozen senior military figures have been removed under Hegseth, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr., Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, and Defense Intelligence Agency head Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse.
Local media reports indicate Phelan is the 34th military official Hegseth has dismissed since assuming office.
"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," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
Undersecretary Hung Cao will assume the role of acting Navy secretary, Parnell added.
Phelan had been nominated to the post by President Donald Trump and sailed through Senate confirmation in a 62-30 vote. At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, he had pledged to tackle recruitment and retention challenges while expanding the Navy's fleet.
Behind the abrupt departure, however, lies months of festering internal conflict. The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that Phelan was fired following sustained tensions with Hegseth. Three people with direct knowledge of the internal dynamics told the outlet that friction intensified over Phelan's unusually close relationship with Trump — a dynamic that rankled Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg.
The breaking point, sources told the Journal, came last fall when Phelan bypassed Hegseth entirely, pitching a modern battleship concept directly to Trump. In the months that followed, Hegseth and Feinberg allegedly moved to sideline Phelan by installing a new czar for submarine acquisition who reports directly to Feinberg — effectively cutting Phelan out of a core portfolio.
Phelan's exit is far from an isolated incident. In early April, the Pentagon announced the immediate retirement of Gen. Randy A. George as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army. More than a dozen senior military figures have been removed under Hegseth, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr., Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, and Defense Intelligence Agency head Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse.
Local media reports indicate Phelan is the 34th military official Hegseth has dismissed since assuming office.
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