Washington: The US Department of Defense has confirmed that Navy Secretary John Phelan has resigned from his position. This marks the first major departure of a military service chief during President Donald Trump’s second term, and is being viewed as a key development in the ongoing reshaping of the Pentagon’s leadership.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Pentagon did not provide a clear reason for John Phelan’s sudden resignation. The development comes at a sensitive time, as the US Navy is reportedly enforcing a strict blockade on Iranian ports and conducting operations against vessels linked to Tehran across international waters.
Following Phelan’s departure, Hung Cao has been appointed as acting secretary. He brings 25 years of military combat experience in the Navy and has also been active in the political arena.
It is worth noting that Phelan’s resignation is part of a broader wave of leadership changes within the Pentagon. Earlier, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed several senior military officials from their posts, including General Randy George, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Jim Slife. President Trump had also initiated major structural changes by dismissing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Charles Q. Brown Jr., aligning military leadership with his administration’s strategic priorities.
Defense analysts suggest that the successive changes in military leadership appear aimed at aligning Pentagon policy more closely with the Trump administration’s more assertive strategic outlook, particularly at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
