Navy Secretary John Phelan fired in latest Pentagon upheaval

Navy Secretary John Phelan has been fired, according to a source familiar with the matter, marking another significant leadership change at the Pentagon just weeks after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth removed the Army's top general. The Pentagon announced in a statement that Phelan was "departing the administration, effective immediately," with Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao set to take over as acting secretary. The sudden departure comes just a day after Phelan addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the Navy's annual conference in Washington, D.C., where he spoke with reporters about his ongoing agenda. The April firings add to recent upheaval at all levels of leadership at the Pentagon, including the dismissal of Army Chief of Staff Randy George on April 2 without a cited reason. Additionally, the previous chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, the chief of naval operations, and the Air Force vice-chief of staff were all fired last year. The latest departure comes during a tense ceasefire with Iran, as the United States flows more naval assets into the Middle East. The US military is relying on naval assets to carry out a blockade of Iran, which President Donald Trump is hoping will pressure Tehran to negotiate an end to the conflict on his terms.