Secretary of the U.S. Navy John Phelan will no longer serve in his position, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced.
“Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately. On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy,” Parnell said. “We wish him well in his future endeavors. Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy.”
Phelan’s departure comes as the Trump administration is involved in a Naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
Last year, Phelan announced a new class of battleships for the U.S. Navy.
“The future Trump-class battleship, the USS Defiant, will be the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best-looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans,” Phelan said. He compared the Trump-class battleships to the former Iowa-class battleships. “The Iowa was designed to go on the attack with the biggest guns, and that’s exactly what will define the Trump-class battleships: offensive firepower from the biggest guns of our era,” he said, adding, “This ship isn’t just to swat the arrows; it is going to reach out and kill the archers.”
The Navy Secretary’s leave comes as Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George also recently left his role. Parnell confirmed the departure in a statement: “General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement.”
