John Phelan
Secretary of the Navy
John Phelan was born in 1964. He earned an undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University. He received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Phelan co-founded two private investment companies and served as an executive of both. He is a philanthropist and has served as a chairman on boards of trustees and foundations.
Phelan was nominated by President Donald Trump to be Secretary of the Navy. He was confirmed by the vote of the Senate and assumed office in March 2025.
He is married to Amy, and they have one daughter.
In the News…
The U.S. Navy is planning to increase its fleet by 19 battle force ships with $47.3 billion from the 2026 fiscal year budget. It is a significant increase from the prior year, when only five vessels were funded. The service confirmed that they will maintain 287 battle force ships in its active fleet.
The Navy’s shipbuilding plan aims to strengthen U.S. undersea warfare, amphibious operations, maritime logistics, and multi-domain surveillance. The new vessels will include one Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, two Virginia-class attack submarines, two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, one America-class amphibious assault ship, one San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, nine Landing Ship Mediums, two John Lewis-class fleet oilers, and one T-AGOS ocean surveillance vessel.
The Defense Department has also authorized a contract to accelerate and streamline ship production to boost military efficiency and strength. These actions are deemed necessary as China’s fleet has grown to 730 vessels.
