Navy’s top civilian official suddenly leaves post

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan would depart his position immediately, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Wednesday evening. The Trump administration was grateful for Phelan’s work and wished him well, Parnell said. He did not provide a reason for the departure. The news came amid the Navy’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports.

Phelan, a businessman with years of investment expertise, was tasked with strengthening the maritime industrial complex, especially in shipbuilding, according to the Navy. Hung Cao, the undersecretary of the Navy, will carry out Phelan’s duties for the present, Parnell said. Cao, who became undersecretary in October, previously spent 30 years in the Navy and worked for a defense contractor company. He also unsuccessfully ran in Virginia for seats in the U.S. House and Senate.

Phelan is one of several high-profile military officials to step down recently, following the resignations of the Army’s top uniformed officer earlier in April and Joe Kent, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, in March. The Trump administration has also replaced the leaders of the Labor Department, Justice Department, Homeland Security Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement since early March.

Dig deeper: Listen to Kent Covington’s update on the naval blockade and conditions in the Strait of Hormuz on The World and Everything In It.