Navy Secretary John Phelan Wins 2026 Wash100 for Driving Modernization & Strengthening Maritime Industrial Base
Executive Mosaic is proud to honor Navy Secretary John Phelan as a 2026 Wash100 Award winner. A first-time honoree, Phelan is being recognized for his leadership in advancing modernization efforts, improving naval readiness and revitalizing the U.S. maritime industrial base.
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Why Is John Phelan Winning the 2026 Wash100 Award?
“It is a pleasure to recognize Secretary Phelan with his first Wash100 Award for bringing a results-driven, business-minded approach to transforming the Navy’s industrial base. He is advancing critical investments in shipyards, modernizing infrastructure and reskilling the workforce to sustain the world’s most advanced fleet,” said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award.
“He is also accelerating the adoption of unmanned and autonomous systems—both low-cost, scalable platforms and advanced capabilities—while establishing new leadership structures to streamline development and support a hybrid future force,” noted Garrettson. “Through a strong focus on efficiency, including initiatives that have delivered $1 billion in savings, Secretary Phelan is driving meaningful change. We look forward to his continued impact in 2026.”
What Is the Department of the Navy?
The Department of the Navy is a military department within the Department of War and encompasses both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. Headed by the secretary of the Navy, the organization maintains, trains and equip combat-ready naval forces to protect national maritime interests.
Who Is John Phelan?
Phelan serves as the 79th secretary of the Navy, overseeing nearly 1 million sailors, Marines, reservists and civilian personnel and managing $263.5 billion in annual budget. He was confirmed to the role by the Senate in March 2025.
Before entering government service, he built a career in private investment and finance, serving as founder and chairman of Rugger Management and co-founder and co-managing partner of MSD Capital. He also held leadership roles at ESL Partners and Zell-Merrill Lynch Real Estate Opportunity Funds.
Phelan is a member of Business Executives for National Security and serves on the North American Advisory Board for the London School of Economics and on the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School.
The Southern Methodist University economics and political science graduate holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Advancing Shipbuilding & Industrial Base Strength
At a Senate Appropriations Committee defense subpanel hearing, Phelan outlined his top priorities: strengthening shipbuilding and the maritime industrial base; promoting an adaptive and innovative warfighter culture; and improving the health, welfare, and training of sailors and Marines.
Phelan emphasized the urgent need to revitalize the U.S. maritime industrial base, describing it as “a national security imperative.” He highlighted ongoing engagement with shipyard leaders and industry stakeholders while calling for closer collaboration among industry, Congress and the department to rebuild capacity and sustain naval superiority.
In December, the Trump administration announced plans to build a new class of battleships that will be equipped with advanced deep-strike weapons and deliver enhanced firepower to the Navy as part of the Golden Fleet initiative.
“The future Trump-class battleship – the USS Defiant – will be the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best-looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans,” Phelan said during a presentation in Florida.
The secretary also stressed the need to adopt new framework that focuses on fast-tracking the construction and deployment of more ships.
“A key factor to this decision is the need to grow the fleet faster to meet tomorrow’s threats,” said Phelan. “This framework puts the Navy on a path to more rapidly construct new classes of ships and deliver the capability our warfighters need in greater numbers and on a more urgent timeline.”
In support of the department’s efforts, advanced manufacturing company Hadrian opened a Navy-funded shipbuilding facility in Alabama to increase submarine production capacity.
Driving Innovation in AI, Autonomy & Future Capabilities
Under Phelan’s leadership, the Navy has invested $448 million in the Shipbuilding Operating System, or Ship OS, to accelerate adoption of artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies across the maritime industrial base.
“This investment provides the resources our shipbuilders, shipyards, and suppliers need to modernize their operations and succeed in meeting our nation’s defense requirements,” Phelan said. “By enabling industry to adopt AI and autonomy tools at scale, we’re helping the shipbuilding industry improve schedules, increase capacity, and reduce costs. This is about doing business smarter and building the industrial capability our Navy and nation require.”
He has also taken steps to realign the Navy’s approach to robotic and autonomous systems. In September, Phelan announced three new positions and offices to oversee the development of robotic and autonomous platforms as part of the service’s bid to build a hybrid fleet.
At a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Phelan emphasized the Navy’s role in projecting U.S. power and stressed the need to invest in both crewed and uncrewed systems to maintain an advantage against emerging threats.
Focusing on Sailors, Culture & Quality of Service
Phelan has emphasized that personnel readiness is foundational to mission success. In October, he launched a cross-departmental portolio to reinforce a warrior ethos and improve the quality of service across the Navy and Marine Corps.
The effort integrates initiatives related to infrastructure, digital modernization, workforce development and family support, reflecting a holistic approach to readiness.
At a congressional hearing, he said, “We are still the dominant naval power, but our adversaries are closing the gap at an accelerating rate. We need to make important cultural and strategic changes in order to maintain our competitive advantage.”
Right to Repair, Hypersonics & Energy Resilience
Beyond organizational and acquisition reforms, Phelan has advocated for policy changes to improve operational effectiveness. He has supported sailors’ right to repair equipment, reducing reliance on contractors and improving responsiveness in the field.
Under his leadership, the Navy is advancing sea-based hypersonic launch capabilities as part of integrated deterrence.
Additionally, DON has pursued energy resilience solutions for installations to ensure secure and reliable operations in contested environments. In August 2025, the department issued a solicitation for execution-ready prototypes to modernize energy infrastructure and protect mission-critical operations.
Workforce & Organizational Reform Efforts
Phelan has initiated a departmentwide organizational review aimed at streamlining structures and optimizing the civilian workforce. His efforts include consolidating key offices and redefining organizational roles to improve efficiency and alignment with mission priorities.
Shaping the Future of Naval Power
As a first-time Wash100 Award recipient, Phelan is being recognized for strengthening the foundations of U.S. naval power while advancing modernization across the fleet. His leadership in tackling readiness challenges and reshaping shipbuilding strategy reflects a broader Department of War push to ensure naval forces are prepared to meet evolving global threats.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Secretary John Phelan on his 2026 Wash100 Award recognition.
Vote for Phelan in the Wash100 popular vote competition.