Secretary of the Navy John Phelan delivers remarks at the U.S. Marine Corps 250th Anniversary Celebration in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 10, 2025. Phelan gave the closing keynote speech on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, at the West 2026 conference in San Diego. (Madelyn Keech/U.S. Air Force)
SAN DIEGO — Navy Secretary John Phelan said the top goal of building the Golden Fleet is deterrence and readiness that will keep enemy forces on the sidelines in conflicts around the world.
“To ensure there are zero caskets draped with American flags,” Phelan said in his closing keynote speech at the West 2026 conference. “Who controls the seas controls the future.”
Phelan called for industry to step up and bring innovation to the Pentagon plans, especially companies that haven’t done business with the Navy before.
“We want to unleash our innovators, uniformed and civilian,” Phelan said. “We are done with armchair quarterbacks.”
Phelan reinforced themes he has spoken about since assuming his role.
Phelan said the most frustrating part of his job is finding where things are going wrong — then trying to get solutions in motion. He’s still finding new problems in his second year on the job, likening it to “whack-a-mole.”
The Golden Fleet is President Donald Trump’s plan to build more and larger ships, uncrewed ships and a new class of aircraft carrier bigger than the 100,000-ton USS Gerald Ford, which is the largest military vessel ever built.
