India, April 23 -- Navy Secretary John Phelan, the top civilian official in the US Navy has quit, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday and Hung Cao will act as interim secretary.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Phelan was "departing the administration, effective immediately."

"On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy. We wish him well in his future endeavors. Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy," he added.

Phelan quit the job suddenly, just one day after he addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the annual conference the Navy has in Washington. He had also spok...