Hung Cao named acting Navy secretary after Phelan ouster

Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao was named acting Navy Secretary on April 22, 2026, hours after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed John Phelan effective immediately. Cao had reportedly maintained a difficult working relationship with Phelan. The change came while the U.S. Navy was enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports during a ceasefire in the Iran war, placing a new and unconfirmed acting official in command of an active naval operation.