Published Jul 14, 2026, 1:49 PM EDT
Phelan lost his job this past April and warns in a new op-ed that not enough money has gone towards Navy shipbuilding and modernization.
Former Navy Secretary John Phelan is calling on the help of Congress and the Pentagon to help the Navy work better, faster and smarter to keep up with U.S. adversaries. Phelan, in a new op-ed published Tuesday in The Washington Post, "The depleted Navy needs immediate rebuilding as dangers rise," argues that the United States is at most responsible for the current state of the naval fighting force. His heeded warning comes amid an ongoing war in Iran played on the backdrop of the major international shipping channel, the Strait of Hormuz, which has been strategically used by Iran to flummox U.S. forces in the region and, in turn, cause economic hardship. While U.S. allies help defend the land and air, Phelan notes that only the Navy circumvents the seas as a maritime protector. But that ocean dominance of the past has partially been ceded, he said, citing how China gained ground on the U.S. starting around 2015. Today, the number of Chinese warships have only increased and the gap between the world power and the U.S. has considerably grown. "The Navy can’t do its job without resources that reflect the centrality of sea power," Phelan wrote. "This year, however, America has the chance to end decades of can kicking by treating the Navy’s predicament as a true emergency."
