Heavens to Murgatroyd! Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (he was only a Major, doncha know) has fired Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, (how dare he). Major Pete has done a Destroyer full of firings. On the other hand, he has elevated Retired Navy Captain Hung Cao to the position of Acting Secretary of the Navy. Well done!

Mediaite reported some juicy deets from the firing:

Former Secretary of the Navy John Phelan was fired, Fox News White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported on Wednesday.

Multiple news outlets had reported that Phelan was leaving his post, but it was unclear if he resigned or was terminated. On Wednesday’s Special Report, Heinrich removed all doubt by reporting that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fired him. The news comes amid the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iran.

“The Pentagon spokesman just announced Navy Secretary John Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately, saying, ‘We wish him well in his future endeavors,’” Heinrich said. “It was not immediately clear from this post if he resigned or was fired, but Fox News has learned in the last few moments he was fired. He had a very close relationship, apparently, with Donald Trump Jr. and just hosted a bridal shower for his fiancée this past weekend in Palm Beach.”

First of all, Jacqui Heinrich looks like she needs to rinse her mouth out when she has to say Donald Trump or Pete Hegseth. Second, Mr. Phelan hosted a bridal shower for Jr.’s wife-to-be at Mar-a-Lago. Okay, guy.

On Sunday, Bettina Anderson celebrated her upcoming wedding to Donald Trump Jr with a lovely bridal shower at Mar-a-Lago. Yaz Hernandez, Amy Phelan, and Audrey Gruss hosted The "Enchanted Garden" themed luncheon, attended by about 60 guests including Ivanka Trump, Tiffany Trump… https://t.co/jAdUgZMjsm pic.twitter.com/GqrOz1g134

— Remoulade Sauce (@Remisagoodboy) April 14, 2026

The Bridal Shower was hosted by Amy Phelan who is nearer in age and physique to Bettina Anderson and Ivanka Trump. So, stupid. John Phelan is probably still great friends with Trump and Don, Jr. This isn’t about friendship. This is about preparing the military for the future.

John Phelan, most likely, did a great job at first. More from Mediaite:

The president nominated Phelan, a Republican megadonor, to be Secretary of the Navy in November 2024, despite his lack of military experience.

An avid art collector, Phelan was a major donor to the president in 2024, and reportedly hosted Trump at his $38 million Aspen home during the campaign. At the event, Trump went on a profanity-laden tirade against immigrants and claimed that if then-Vice President Kamala Harris won, the 2024 election “could be the last election we ever have.

Sounds like Phelan is an entrepreneurial type and not used to following any chain of command. In some place as huge as the Department of War, stepping out of the Chain of Command will be a huge problem and lead to confusion, and a lack of good order and discipline, among other things. While Trump initially picked Phelan, Hegseth SHOULD have the folks he wants in important slots.

President Trump thanks now former Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan for his service 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/fJ5UMTYOWX

— MAGA Kitty (@SaveUSAKitty) April 23, 2026

The Washington Post brings up the Chain of Command issue:

Phelan’s ouster was announced a day after the Navy unveiled an ambitious $377 billion budget request for next year that seeks more than $65.8 billion for shipbuilding, a 46 percent increase. The request would procure 18 new warships, including new submarines, destroyers, an amphibious assault ship and funds to get a “Trump Class” of battleship underway, a new class of warship announced by the president in December.

Phelan, though, had aggravated Hegseth over the way he was managing the Navy — in some cases taking matters directly to Trump due to their close relationship instead of going through the defense secretary, two U.S. officials said. He had sought to consolidate control of the service, which made it difficult for the Navy’s top admiral to perform his role independently, the officials said. Things came to a head with the unveiling of the battleship, which was not coordinated through Hegseth to the extent that the defense secretary had expected, the officials said.

That bit is really bad. It should have been coordinated up through the Chain of Command through to Hegseth.

But with Phelan out, Hegseth will get the guy he really wanted as Secretary of the Navy, Hung Cao. He will be Acting Secretary of the Navy:

If you have never heard of Hung Cao, here is a basic primer:

Allow me to share a story. A story of America. In 1973, a boy named @HungCao_VA arrived in America, a refugee from Vietnam, his family carrying very little beyond hope. They had no land, no lineage, no luxury in America. No pedigree, no property, no "privilege."

He learned… https://t.co/vbV0SBqCpy pic.twitter.com/BmH27aCeo3

— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) February 28, 2025

From MSN here is more:

Cao arrived in the United States as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975. He spent time in West Africa before eventually settling in Virginia. He was part of the first graduating class of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, one of the most competitive academic institutions in the country.

From there, he was commissioned as a Special Operations Officer specializing in Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Deep Sea Diving from the United States Naval Academy. Over a 25-year military career, he served in Special Operations across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. When he was not in combat, he was doing things like managing the Navy’s $140 billion budget at the Pentagon and working alongside Homeland Security and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.

He holds a Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School and has completed fellowships at both MIT and Harvard.

There are some immigrants to this country who continue to be a blessing.

For what it’s worth, I don’t care how many General Officers Hegseth fires. They can all go.

Featured Image: U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons.org/cropped/Public Domain/U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons.org/cropped/Public Domain/U.S. Department of Defense/Wikimedia Commons.org/cropped/Public Domain