OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
7:09 PM – Wednesday, April 22, 2026
In a shake-up of the military’s civilian leadership, the Pentagon announced that Navy Secretary John Phelan has departed his post, effective immediately. The exit of the Navy’s 79th top official was confirmed by Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell, who stated that Under Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao will step in as the acting secretary.
The move comes just one day after Phelan delivered a major keynote address at the Sea-Air-Space symposium, where he had been actively promoting the Trump administration’s plans for a next-generation battleship.
While the Pentagon’s official statement thanked Phelan for his service and wished him well in future endeavors, it offered no specific reason for the abrupt departure. However, the move follows a series of high-profile leadership changes within the Department of War under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and some incoming reports have suggested that Hegseth personally fired him.
Phelan was likely asked to resign following internal disagreements regarding the pace of naval modernization and the administration’s ongoing maritime blockade strategy, sources say.
Meanwhile, Phelan’s exit marks the second major leadership turnover in the services this month, following the recent ousting of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.
Hung Cao, who now takes the helm of the Navy in an acting capacity, brings a vastly different background to the role than his predecessor. While Phelan was a businessman and major political donor with no prior military service, Cao is a seasoned veteran and retired Navy Captain with over 30 years of active-duty experience.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a refugee from South Vietnam, Cao’s career in uniform was defined by his work as a deep-sea diver and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) officer. Notably, he led the recovery team that found the remains of John F. Kennedy Jr. following his 1999 plane crash and served multiple combat tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
As acting secretary, Cao inherits a Navy currently navigating significant geopolitical tension and internal transformation. Prior to this appointment, Cao served as the Navy’s chief management officer, where he was tasked with modernizing the service’s aging IT infrastructure and business systems.
His immediate priorities will likely include stabilizing the department’s leadership amid the recent churn and overseeing the development of the “Golden Fleet” — a fleet modernization initiative involving nuclear-armed vessels, railguns, and hypersonic missiles. Pentagon officials indicated that Cao is expected to serve in the acting role until a permanent successor is nominated and confirmed by the Senate.
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