US Navy Secretary John C. Phelan Resigns Effective Immediately

John C. Phelan has resigned from his position with immediate effect. The announcement was made by Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell via social media on Wednesday, though no clear reason was provided for the sudden decision.

Deputy Navy Secretary Hung Cao will take over as acting secretary. The announcement comes at a time when the United States Navy is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire period with Iran.

The Navy Secretary is a civilian position responsible for overseeing policy, administration, budget, and overall readiness of the Department of the Navy.

Since Pete Hegseth assumed leadership of the Pentagon, several senior military officials have been removed from their positions. Earlier in April, amid the Iran–US conflict, he dismissed U.S. Army Chief of Staff Randy George along with two other generals.

The reason behind Phelan’s resignation remains unclear. Just a day earlier, he had addressed the annual “Sea-Air-Space” conference organized by the Navy League of the United States near Washington, D.C.