Navy Secretary John Phelan Was Reportedly FIRED By Pete Hegseth — Here’s Why

On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that Secretary of the Navy John Phelan is leaving the role.

Hung Cao has been named as Acting Secretary.

We brought you the full scoop on that here:

BREAKING: Secretary of the Navy Abruptly Resigns

At the time of our original report, it wasn’t clear why John Phelan was departing from the Pentagon.

But now, more details are coming out.

It appears that Phelan did not leave on his own accord. Instead, he was fired by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Fox News was the first to report on this:

🚨 JUST IN: Navy Secretary John Phelan did not simply depart, but was “FIRED” today by Secretary Hegseth, per Fox

His termination is effective immediately.

Undersecretary Hung Cao is now in the top role in an Acting capacity. pic.twitter.com/WxdlwiXeRe

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 22, 2026

Several news outlets have confirmed that Hegseth fired Phelan for not following orders.

Reportedly, the two clashed frequently.

But, the final straw had to do with Phelan disregarding Hegseth’s authority when it came to shipbuilding.

NBC News reported:

The abrupt firing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came after mounting tensions between Phelan and Hegseth and the Pentagon’s No. 2, Stephen Feinberg, according to multiple officials and others familiar with the relationship.

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There were a number of issues between the men, but the speed and approach Phelan was taking when it came to shipbuilding, a challenge in which President Trump has taken a personal interest, appears to have been the main reason for the firing, multiple people said.

They clashed not only on shipbuilding, but also the Golden Fleet, Trump’s signature naval initiative, as well as the deployment of ships around the world. Feinberg had wrested some decision making on shipbuilding away from Phelan, according to two officials familiar with the matter.

This CNN news clip provided further coverage:

NEWS: War Secretary Pete Hegseth has FIRED U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan, as a source tells Axios: “Phelan didn't understand he wasn't the boss. His job is to follow orders given, not follow the orders he thinks should be given.”

“He didn't get along [with Pete Hegseth],” the… pic.twitter.com/GmmX6kDQmG

— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) April 22, 2026

NEWS: War Secretary Pete Hegseth has FIRED U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan, as a source tells Axios: “Phelan didn’t understand he wasn’t the boss. His job is to follow orders given, not follow the orders he thinks should be given.”

“He didn’t get along [with Pete Hegseth],” the source familiar added.

The Wall Street Journal: “The top Pentagon leaders were particularly annoyed last fall when Phelan pitched the idea for a modern battleship directly to Trump, bypassing Hegseth, the people said.”

“Since then, Hegseth and Feinberg have worked to undermine Phelan by creating a new czar for submarine acquisition—a portfolio that typically sits within the Navy-who reports directly to Feinberg, the people said.”

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Despite all this, President Trump regarded John Phelan in a positive light in a farewell message on Truth Social.

Read it here:

John Phelan is a long time friend, and very successful businessman, who did an outstanding job serving as my Secretary Of The Navy for the last year. John helped my Administration rebuild Sleepy Joe Biden’s rapidly depleted, and almost abandoned, Navy. Now, because of John, and all of the Great Men and Women lovingly and tirelessly involved, we have the strongest Navy in the World — BY FAR! John Phelan is smart, tough, and respected by all, and although he has decided to move on from his position as Secretary Of The Navy, I very much appreciate the job that he has done, and would certainly like to have him back within the Trump Administration sometime in the future. A very special thank you to John for his service to the United States of America! President DONALD J. TRUMP

What do you think?

Did Hegseth make the right move firing Phelan?