Escalation: Hegseth removes Navy Secretary John Phelan

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan on Wednesday, effective immediately. Undersecretary Hung Cao, a 25-year Navy combat veteran and former explosive-ordnance disposal officer, was named acting Navy secretary. The shakeup landed as the Navy is enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports, having redirected 31 ships to port and boarded two.

After a White House meeting on shipbuilding, Hegseth told Phelan to resign or be fired. Phelan went to the West Wing to seek confirmation and President Trump told him he was out. The Pentagon announced the move that evening.

The move was abrupt. The day before, Phelan addressed the Navy’s annual conference and met House Armed Services leaders on shipbuilding and the budget. His ouster followed months of friction over the pace of shipbuilding reforms and over Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg taking control of major Navy acquisitions, including shifting submarine procurement out of Phelan’s office in March.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources