A high-profile effort to fast-track a next-generation U.S. Navy battleship has led to another shakeup inside the administration. Navy Secretary John Phelan was removed from his post Wednesday after failing to deliver a workable plan for building the proposed “Trump-class” warship within the tight schedule set by President Trump, according to senior defense and administration officials cited by The New York Times.
Phelan, a billionaire investor who had served a little over a year, had been under pressure to outline how the first vessel could be completed by 2028—a target many experts viewed as unrealistic given the scale of design, engineering, and industrial challenges involved. Critics of the concept have been blunt, with military budget analyst Mark F. Cancian saying the ship would take years just to design, let alone construct.
Behind the scenes, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg reportedly raised concerns directly with the president, arguing that Phelan was not aligned with the administration’s approach. They began stripping him of responsibilities before ultimately recommending his dismissal.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Phelan initially resisted the decision and sought a direct conversation with the president. He went to the White House on Wednesday evening and personally appealed to keep his job. However, President Trump sided with Hegseth’s recommendation and confirmed the removal.
The leadership change comes during a period of instability at the Pentagon, as the United States remains engaged in a conflict with Iran—an issue that has drawn concern from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Meanwhile, skepticism continues to surround the ambitious battleship project itself, which has been envisioned as a massive, heavily armed vessel equipped with advanced technologies such as electric railguns and hypersonic weapons.
Despite the fallout, President Trump publicly praised Phelan and suggested he could return to the administration in a different capacity.