John Phelan

On 23 April 2026, the US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, fired Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, the latest in a series of senior officials forced to leave the Pentagon since the start of the war with Iran.

Phelan's sudden dismissal comes as the Navy is busy overseeing the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important operations of recent decades.

The Secretary of the Navy has no role in overseeing the deployed forces, and Phelan's dismissal should have no significant implications for the war in Iran or the US Navy's operations to blockade Iranian ports or the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.