Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan on 22 April, effective immediately. Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao stepped into the role as acting secretary the same day.
Why it matters
The firing occurred while the US Navy is enforcing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz during an active war with Iran. Phelan is the latest in a string of senior defence officials to leave the Trump administration since the conflict began in February.
What happened
According to multiple sources cited by CNN and Axios, Hegseth had clashed with Phelan for months over the pace of shipbuilding reforms. Trump has taken a personal interest in what the administration calls the “Golden Fleet,” a programme to expand the Navy’s surface fleet with new battleships and frigates.
Hegseth believed Phelan was moving too slowly to implement the reforms. He was also frustrated by Phelan’s direct communication with the president, which Hegseth viewed as an attempt to bypass the chain of command.
One day before his dismissal, Phelan sat down with a dozen reporters at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington to discuss the fleet’s future. He told journalists, “We’re going to really need to improve our ability to build ships.”
Who is Hung Cao?
Cao fled Vietnam with his family as a child in the 1970s. He entered the US Navy as a seaman recruit in 1989, graduated from the Naval Academy in 1996, and served more than 30 years on active duty, including deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. He retired as a captain in 2021.
He ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in Virginia in 2024, earning Trump’s endorsement. He was confirmed as Navy undersecretary in 2025.
The broader pattern
Phelan’s departure follows the exits of several senior Pentagon officials since the Iran war began. The turnover has raised questions in Congress about continuity of military leadership during wartime operations.