Pentagon says Navy secretary is leaving, the latest departure of a top defense leader - BERITAJA

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan speaks, arsenic President Trump listens, astatine Trump's Mar-a-Lago nine connected Dec. 22 successful Palm Beach, Fla. Alex Brandon/AP

Alex Brandon/AP

WASHINGTON — Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his job, the Pentagon abruptly announced Wednesday, the first caput of a subject work to depart during President Trump's 2nd word but conscionable the latest apical defense leader to measurement down aliases beryllium ousted.

No logic was fixed for the unexpected departure of the Navy's apical civilian official, coming arsenic the oversea work has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and is targeting ships linked to Tehran about the world during a tenuous ceasefire successful the war. Another Trump loyalist is taking complete arsenic acting caput of the Navy: Undersecretary Hung Cao, a 25-year Navy combat seasoned who ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and House successful Virginia.

Phelan's departure is the latest successful a bid of shakeups of apical activity astatine the Pentagon, coming conscionable weeks aft Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army's apical uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth besides has fired respective different apical generals, admirals and defense leaders since taking agency past year.

The firings began successful February 2025, erstwhile Hegseth removed subject leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy's apical uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the No. 2 leader astatine the Air Force. Trump besides fired Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown Jr. arsenic president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Showing really abrupt the latest move was, Phelan had addressed a ample crowd of sailors and manufacture professionals connected Tuesday astatine the Navy's yearly convention successful Washington and said pinch reporters about his agenda. He besides hosted the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee to talk the Navy's fund petition and efforts to build much ships, according to a societal media station from his office.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said successful a station connected X that Phelan was "departing the administration, effective immediately."

Phelan had been a awesome Trump donor

Phelan had not served successful the subject aliases had a civilian activity domiciled successful the work earlier Trump nominated him for caput successful precocious 2024. He was seen arsenic an outsider being brought successful to shingle up the Navy.

Hung Cao speaks during the Republican National Convention connected July 16, 2024, successful Milwaukee. Matt Rourke/AP

Matt Rourke/AP

Phelan was a awesome philanthropist to Trump's run and had founded the backstage finance patient Rugger Management LLC. According to his biography, Phelan's superior vulnerability to the subject came from an advisory position he held connected the Spirit of America, a nonprofit that supported the defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan.

The Associated Press could not instantly scope Phelan's agency for comment. The White House did not reply questions and alternatively responded by sending a nexus to Parnell's statement.

Phelan is leaving during a engaged clip for the Navy. It has 3 craft carriers deployed successful aliases heading to the Middle East, while the Trump management says each the equipped forces are poised to resume combat operations against Iran should the ceasefire expire.

The Navy besides has maintained a dense beingness successful the Caribbean, wherever it has been portion of a run of strikes against alleged supplier boats. It besides played a awesome domiciled successful the seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro successful January.

New acting Navy caput ran unsuccessful bids for Congress

Taking complete arsenic acting caput is Cao, who ran a grounded U.S. Senate bid successful Virginia to effort to unseat Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine successful 2024. He had Trump's endorsement successful the crowded Republican superior and gave a reside astatine the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Cao's curriculum vitae includes fleeing Vietnam pinch his family arsenic a kid successful the 1970s. In a run video for his Senate bid, he compared Vietnam's communist authorities during the Cold War to the management of Democratic President Joe Biden.

During his 1 statement pinch Kaine, Cao criticized COVID-19 vaccine mandates for work members arsenic good arsenic the military's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

"When you're utilizing a resistance queen to enlistee for the Navy, that's not the group we want," Cao said from the statement stage. "What we request is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip retired their ain guts, eat them and inquire for seconds. Those are the young men and women that are going to triumph wars."

Trump and Hegseth person railed against DEI successful the military, banning the efforts and firing group accused of supporting specified programs.

When he ran for Congress successful Virginia successful 2022, Cao expressed guidance to assistance for Ukraine during a statement against his Democratic opponent.

"My bosom goes retired to the Ukrainian people. ... But correct now we're borrowing $55 cardinal from China to salary for the warfare successful Ukraine. Not only that, we're depleting our nationalist strategical reserves," Cao said.

Cao graduated from the prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology successful Alexandria, Virginia, earlier attending the U.S. Naval Academy.

He was commissioned arsenic a typical operations serviceman and went connected to service pinch SEAL teams and typical forces successful Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia earlier retiring astatine the rank of captain, according to his Senate run biography.

Cao besides earned a master's grade successful physics and had fellowships astatine the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

Since becoming Navy undersecretary, Cao has championed returning to work work members that refused a Biden-era instruction to return the COVID-19 vaccine.