US: Navy Secretary John Phelan steps down “with immediate effect”

Washington (US), 23 Apr. (LaPresse) – The Pentagon has announced that the Navy’s top civilian official, Navy Secretary John Phelan, is stepping down from his post ‘with immediate effect’. In a post on social media, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that Under Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao will assume the role of Acting Secretary of the Navy. The sudden departure comes just one day after Phelan addressed a large audience of sailors and industry professionals at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington and discussed his agenda with journalists. Phelan’s departure also comes just a few weeks after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the Army’s top officer, General Randy George, as well as two other high-ranking Army generals.