Trump Says Navy Secretary Phelan Exited Pentagon After Internal Conflicts Over Shipbuilding

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said undersecretary Hung Cao will become acting secretary following John Phelan’s departure.

John Phelan at a Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing in Washington on Feb. 27, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

President Donald Trump said on April 23 that Secretary of the Navy John Phelan stepped down after “conflicts” with other Pentagon officials over shipbuilding and ship procurement.

Trump did not name the officials Phelan was at odds with, but said that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was not among them.