US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan from his post, and the latter went straight to the White House to ask US President Donald Trump if the decision was final.
News of Phelan’s ouster caught him and many inside the Pentagon completely off guard on Wednesday evening, April 22, 2026.
The Pentagon’s chief spokesman announced that Phelan would leave “with immediate effect,” without giving an explanation.
They added that Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao would take charge as acting secretary while the administration decides what comes next.
According to a report from Wall Street Journal, Pete Hegseth grew increasingly frustrated with Phelan over several months for two main reasons.
- Hegseth believed that Phelan was moving too slowly on shipbuilding reform, a priority on which the administration had invested considerable political capital.
- Hegseth was annoyed by what he saw when Phelan walked around him to speak directly to President Trump.
The now-former Navy secretary’s mansion is near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, and the two have developed a close friendship over the years, which the war secretary apparently saw as a threat to his authority.
At a White House meeting on Wednesday when shipbuilding progress was discussed, Trump appeared displeased and frustrated with the results and reportedly asked Secretary Hegseth to handle the situation.
The reports state that Hegseth immediately asked Phelan to resign and threatened to fire him if he did not comply. Phelan went directly to the White House to ask Trump about his removal and returned empty-handed.
The latest firing of a senior official comes after Hegseth removed the army chief of staff and two other army generals.
