Navy Secretary John Phelan has left his post in the Trump administration, the White House confirmed. As the civilian head of the Department of the Navy, Phelan issued a brief statement thanking the service members, civilian employees and department leaders for their work, and said he was proud of progress made on readiness, fleet modernization and support for personnel and families.
The White House released a statement expressing appreciation for Phelan’s service and saying the department will continue normal operations during the leadership transition. An acting secretary or interim leadership team will assume management of the department until a permanent successor is nominated and confirmed, the statement added.
Pentagon officials stressed that naval missions and commitments will proceed without interruption during the handover. During his tenure, Phelan oversaw shipbuilding plans, training initiatives and policy implementation affecting the Navy and Marine Corps. Colleagues commended his emphasis on morale and operational capability. He did not immediately announce what his next steps will be.