Amid the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. government is changing its Under Secretary for the Navy. John Phelan will leave the administration with immediate effect, a Department of Defense spokesman announced on X. The 54-year-old Under Secretary Hung Cao is to take over the duties for the time being. The department gave no explanation for the personnel change.
STATEMENT:
Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately.
On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy.
We wishSean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) April 22, 2026
Cao is described as an extremely anti-LGBTQ+ politician: He is a member of an ultra anti-LGBTQ+ church community, in which homosexuality is described as a “sexual perversion.” He fought against support for queer youth or equal treatment of LGBTQ people. In the 2024 campaign, he particularly railed against drag queens in the U.S. military: “If you use drag queens for recruitment, those are not the people we want,” he said — signaling that he would tolerate only heterosexuals in the armed forces.
He also subscribes to conspiracy theories: He claimed that witches in pagan California were causing trouble — and that he wanted to prevent this in his home state of Virginia (TheColu.mn reported).
Phelan had the warship renamed because it was named after a gay man
Phelan, a former investment banker, had taken his post in March of last year. His focus included strengthening shipbuilding and the maritime industry.
He also positioned himself with anti-LGBTQ rhetoric: During his tenure, the U.S. warship USNS Harvey Milk was renamed because it bore the name of an openly gay veteran. The Navy at the time said the change would “restore the warrior culture of the military” (TheColu.mn reported).
Background to the personnel change appears to lie in tensions between Phelan and his two superiors, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his deputy Stephen Feinberg. The New York Times cited unnamed sources for the account. Feinberg, in particular, was reportedly increasingly dissatisfied with how Phelan had implemented the Navy’s new shipbuilding initiative.
Trump praised Phelan
Just in December, Phelan announced plans for new battleships bearing the president’s name, together with U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump had spoken highly of Phelan at the event, praising him in glowing terms.
