US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan will leave office “immediately,” the Pentagon announced Wednesday, without providing an explanation for the sudden exit.
Phelan’s departure follows the removal of top US Army officer general Randy George and two other senior officers earlier this month, at a time when the United States is locked in a war with Iran that still remains unresolved.
Phelan “is departing the administration, effective immediately”, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on social media, adding that he would be replaced in an acting capacity by Undersecretary Hung Cao.
Since returning to office early last year, US President Donald Trump has overseen a purge of top military personnel, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Charles “CQ” Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February 2025.
Other senior officers dismissed include the heads of the US Navy and coastguard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice-chief of staff of the Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to Nato, and three top military lawyers.
