U.S. Navy Secretary out of his job in newest Pentagon shakeup

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U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his job, the Pentagon abruptly introduced Wednesday, making him the primary head of a army service to depart throughout President Donald Trump's second time period — and the most recent high defence chief to be ousted.

No purpose was given for the surprising departure of the Navy's high civilian official. It comes because the U.S. has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and is focusing on ships linked to Tehran world wide throughout a tenuous ceasefire within the struggle.

Phelan's ouster is the most recent in a sequence of shakeups on the Pentagon, coming simply weeks after U.S. Secretary of Conflict Pete Hegseth fired the Military's high uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth has additionally fired a number of different high generals, admirals and defence leaders since taking workplace final 12 months.

The firings started in February 2025, when Hegseth eliminated army leaders together with Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy's high uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the Air Power's second-in-command. Trump additionally fired Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers.

Underscoring how sudden the most recent transfer was, Phelan addressed a big crowd of sailors and trade professionals Tuesday on the Navy's annual convention in Washington and spoke with reporters about his agenda. He additionally hosted the leaders of the U.S. Home Armed Providers Committee to debate the Navy's funds request and efforts to construct extra ships, in line with a social media put up from his workplace.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated in a put up on X that Phelan was "departing the administration, efficient instantly."

One other Trump loyalist is taking on as performing head of the Navy: Undersecretary Hung Cao, a 25-year Navy fight veteran who ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and Home in Virginia.

<img loading="lazy" alt="Man in dark suit speaks to a crowd from a podium with a banner reading "Trump will fix it."" srcset="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/dd987027-43d0-444b-a4cc-e1aff21dedb5,1776905341758/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C3808%2C2544%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/dd987027-43d0-444b-a4cc-e1aff21dedb5,1776905341758/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C3808%2C2544%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/dd987027-43d0-444b-a4cc-e1aff21dedb5,1776905341758/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C3808%2C2544%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/dd987027-43d0-444b-a4cc-e1aff21dedb5,1776905341758/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C3808%2C2544%29%3B" style="aspect-ratio:1.4968553459119496" data-cy="image-img"/> Undersecretary Hung Cao, who has run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Home and Senate, will take over Phelan's place. (Hannah McKay/Reuters) Phelan was main Trump donor Phelan had not served within the army or held a civilian management function within the service earlier than Trump nominated him for secretary in late 2024. He was seen as an outsider introduced in to shake up the Navy.

He was a significant donor to Trump's marketing campaign and based the non-public funding agency Rugger Administration LLC. Based on his biography, Phelan's most important publicity to the army got here from an advisory function with Spirit of America, a nonprofit that supported the defence of Ukraine and Taiwan.

The Related Press couldn't instantly attain Phelan's workplace for remark. The White Home didn't reply questions and as an alternative responded by sending a hyperlink to Parnell's assertion.

Phelan is leaving throughout a busy time for the Navy. It has three plane carriers deployed in or heading to the Center East, whereas the Trump administration says all branches of the armed forces are poised to renew fight operations towards Iran if the ceasefire collapses.

The Navy has additionally maintained a heavy presence within the Caribbean, the place it has taken half in a marketing campaign of strikes towards alleged drug boats. It additionally performed a significant function within the seize of Venezuelan chief Nicolás Maduro in January.

WATCH | How a Navy blockade is completed: How do you do a naval blockade? We requested a retired admiral

A naval blockade is an act of struggle, however U.S. ships wouldn't fireplace on ships trying to run it, says Mark Norman, a retired Royal Canadian Navy vice-admiral and fellow with the Canadian International Affairs Institute. The mission can be to intercept and interdict, organize them to cease, probably utilizing warning pictures. Boarding and seizing ships would contain dropping troops by helicopter. 'That will get fairly dicey,' Norman stated. New performing secretary ran unsuccessful bids for Congress Taking on as performing secretary is Cao, who ran an unsuccessful Senate bid in Virginia in 2024 in an try and unseat Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine. He had Trump's endorsement within the crowded Republican main and gave a speech on the 2024 Republican Nationwide Conference.

Cao's biography contains fleeing Vietnam together with his household as a toddler within the Nineteen Seventies. In a marketing campaign video for his Senate bid, he in contrast Vietnam's communist regime through the Chilly Conflict to the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden.

Throughout his one debate with Kaine, Cao criticized COVID-19 vaccine mandates for service members in addition to the army's range, fairness and inclusion efforts.

"If you're utilizing a drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that is not the folks we wish," Cao stated from the talk stage. "What we'd like is alpha males and alpha females who're going to tear out their very own guts, eat them and ask for seconds. These are the younger women and men which might be going to win wars."

WATCH | Battle within the Strait of Hormuz: U.S. seizes Iranian cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz

Iran has vowed to retaliate after the U.S. Navy forcibly seized an Iranian cargo ship within the Strait of Hormuz, ending a weekend the place each international locations accused the opposite of violating a ceasefire. Trump and Hegseth have railed towards DEI within the army, banning these efforts and firing folks accused of supporting such packages.

When he ran for Congress in Virginia in 2022, Cao expressed opposition to help for Ukraine throughout a debate towards his Democratic opponent.

"My coronary heart goes out to the Ukrainian folks.... However proper now we're borrowing $55 billion US from China to pay for the struggle in Ukraine. Not solely that, we're depleting our nationwide strategic reserves," Cao stated.

Cao graduated from the distinguished Thomas Jefferson Excessive College for Science and Know-how in Alexandria, Va., earlier than attending the U.S. Naval Academy.

He was commissioned as a particular operations officer and went on to serve with SEAL groups and particular forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia earlier than retiring with the rank of captain, in line with his Senate marketing campaign biography.

Cao additionally earned a grasp's diploma in physics and had fellowships on the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how and Harvard College.

Since changing into Navy undersecretary, Cao has championed returning to responsibility service members that refused a Biden-era mandate to take the COVID-19 vaccine.