US officials say Navy Secretary John C Phelan has left the Trump administration immediately, with Undersecretary Hung Cao stepping in as acting Secretary of the Navy. The change was confirmed by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell as Washington continues responding to escalating Iran-related tensions.
The Trump administration has fired John C Phelan, the Secretary of the Navy, sending shockwaves through a Pentagon stretched by escalating Middle East conflict. The sudden exit is widely linked to internal tensions, including reported clashes with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Observers say the shakeup could reshape how the administration manages the Iran war response and the Persian Gulf naval blockade.
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President Donald Trump says Navy Secretary John Phelan was dismissed after conflicts tied to shipbuilding. Phelan, a billionaire with reported ties to Trump, was also described as moving too slowly on reforms. The shakeup comes as tensions with Iran persist despite a ceasefire, with Washington boosting naval assets in the Middle East.
US Navy Secretary John Phelan has suddenly left his post, with Undersecretary Hung Cao stepping in as acting leader. The change adds to a broader wave of Pentagon reshuffles under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Phelan’s departure comes as US naval operations intensify across the Middle East and the Caribbean, raising questions about what’s next.
Anthropic has submitted a new filing to an appeals court ahead of oral arguments on May 19, responding to questions raised by the court and claims tied to the Trump administration. The company argues it cannot manipulate Claude once deployed inside classified Pentagon military networks, challenging attempts to frame Anthropic as fully controllable over AI in sensitive systems.
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