At a High-Stakes Moment, Hegseth Fires the Navy Secretary — By Phone

In a rare move and at an especially sensitive moment, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed Navy Secretary John Phelan overnight Thursday, the "Wall Street Journal" reported. The firing was carried out in a brief phone call, as the U.S. Navy is conducting significant operations in the Middle East, including enforcing a broad naval blockade of Iran's ports with more than 15 warships.

According to the report, immediately after the dismissal, Under Secretary Hung Cao, a veteran Navy officer, was appointed acting Navy Secretary—and he is expected to assume the role immediately. The move comes amid growing criticism within the Pentagon of Phelan's performance, especially over the pace of implementing the shipbuilding priorities set by President Donald Trump.

Officials told the paper that dissatisfaction with Phelan's progress had grown inside the Pentagon, with Hegseth and his deputy, Steve Feinberg, believing the secretary was not moving fast enough on procurement and modernization of the fleet. According to those officials, U.S. President Donald Trump gave his consent to the dismissal, saying that "the time has come for new leadership in the Navy."

Alongside the professional disagreements, personal tension also developed among the top officials. Phelan, who lives near Trump in Florida, would bypass the defense secretary and go directly to the president with proposals on shipbuilding. That move angered senior Pentagon officials, especially after he presented Trump with an idea to develop a modern battleship—without prior coordination with the defense secretary. The move was seen as a direct blow to the chain of command.

Phelan's ouster is not an isolated event, but part of a broader shake-up led by Hegseth at the top of the U.S. military. As part of this, dozens of senior officers have already been dismissed, including the Army Chief of Staff. The latest firing also comes at a symbolic moment—during the Navy's major annual conference and just a day after the Pentagon presented Congress with a roughly $66 billion budget request aimed at strengthening the Navy and accelerating the construction of new ships.