Taking a big decision, US President Donald Trump has immediately removed US Navy Secretary John Phelan from his post. This decision has been taken at a time when America has imposed a sea blockade amid tensions with Iran. The Pentagon said in a short statement that Phelan was leaving his post with immediate effect, but did not give a clear reason for his removal. It is also being said in some reports that the failure of the US Navy blockade in Hormuz is also the reason for this.
According to sources, there were many reasons behind Phelan's removal. The biggest reason was that he was not able to rapidly implement improvements in the Navy's ship building plan. Apart from this, he also did not have good coordination with Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, Deputy Defense Minister Steve Fineberg and senior Navy officer Hung Kao. Now Hung Kao has been temporarily given the responsibility of Navy Secretary.
According to reports, an ongoing ethics investigation into Phelan's office also led to his dismissal. Additionally, there had been tension between Phelan and Hegseth for several months. Hegseth felt that Phelan was slow in his work and was ignoring the rules by talking directly to Trump.
The matter became more serious after an important meeting held in the White House. Trump was already angry with the slow pace of the Navy's work. He asked Hegseth to resolve the matter immediately. After this Phelan was given the option of resigning or being removed. Trump himself later confirmed his dismissal.
This entire incident has happened at a time when America is imposing a blockade against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. The US Navy has so far sent back 31 ships and has also taken possession of two ships. Navy has an important role in this campaign. However, according to the Financial Times report, till April 22, 34 ships belonging to Iran have been successful in breaking the blockade.
John Phelan was a big businessman and had no previous military experience. He was appointed to this post in 2025 and was considered close to Trump. His dismissal is the first such action by a senior defense officer during Trump's tenure.
Even before this, many major changes have taken place in the Pentagon. This month, Army Chief of Staff Randy George was removed from the post without giving any reason. Generals like David Hodney and William Green Jr. have also been removed. US Senator Jack Reed has called this decision worrying and said that it shows instability in the Defense Department.
All this is happening at a time when America has to face China's rapidly growing navy. For this reason, the Trump government has proposed a defense budget of $ 1.5 trillion for 2027, of which it plans to spend more than $ 65 billion on new warships and support ships.
