Navy Secretary Phelan Fired in Pentagon Shakeup

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has been removed from his position, effective immediately, according to statements from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. Deputy Secretary Hung Cao will assume the role as acting secretary. This dismissal marks another significant leadership shakeup at the Defense Department, coming just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George without explanation. The firing adds to a pattern of instability at the highest levels of Pentagon leadership over recent months, including the dismissal last year of former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations, and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff. Pentagon officials have not provided detailed reasons for Phelan's removal, with Parnell offering only a brief statement thanking him for his service to the department and the Navy, wishing him well in future endeavors. The departure occurs amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with a fragile ceasefire in place with Iran while the United States deploys additional naval resources to the region. The military's naval capabilities are central to an ongoing blockade of Iran, which the Trump administration is using as leverage to pressure Tehran into negotiating an end to the conflict on American terms.