Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will nominate acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to lead the department on a permanent basis. The appointment requires Senate confirmation for Cao, who has served as the acting civilian head of the Navy and Marine Corps since late April 2026. Trump called on lawmakers to act immediately on the nomination through a post on his Truth Social platform.

“The Senate needs to confirm this Warfighter, ASAP, so he can continue the fantastic work he has been doing over the past 4 months.”

Cao responded to the selection on social media, calling it the honor of a lifetime to lead the service members of the Navy and Marine Corps.

Naval service and political campaigns

Cao entered the United States as a refugee in 1975 during the collapse of the South Vietnamese government. He spent 25 years as a commissioned naval officer, specializing as a deep-sea diver, explosive ordnance disposal specialist, and special operations officer deployed with SEAL units in Iraq and Afghanistan. During his active-duty career, he also served as commander of the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama before retiring at the rank of captain in 2021. Cao subsequently pursued political office in Virginia, winning the Republican primary for a House seat in 2022 and mounting a Trump-backed campaign for the US Senate in 2024, though he lost both general elections. The Senate confirmed him as undersecretary of the Navy in October 2025.

Pentagon leadership changes and defense priorities

Cao stepped into the acting secretary role in April 2026 following the dismissal of John Phelan. Phelan, a billionaire fundraiser who led the Navy beginning in early 2025, departed after clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the direction of naval shipbuilding, including a 275 billion dollar plan for new battleships known as the Golden Fleet. Cao has maintained a close working relationship with Hegseth, supporting policies such as returning to duty personnel who were separated under previous COVID-19 vaccination mandates. Civilian leadership changes expanded further this week when Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned on Monday following policy disputes with Hegseth concerning service priorities and the removal of senior military officers.

Middle East operations and deployment oversight

Cao's time leading the Navy has coincided with operational demands in the Middle East, where the United States has engaged in an active conflict with Iran for six months. Lawmakers, including Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, have questioned the physical and mental health conditions of sailors deployed abroad. Scrutiny has focused on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which reached a deployment exceeding nine months at sea marked by shortages of food and hygiene supplies. Cao met with families of the carrier crew in August 2026 to hear concerns about sailor welfare. During his acting tenure in July 2026, Cao also defended a Blue Angels demonstration pilot after a low flyover in Pensacola, Florida, scattered tents and chairs on a public beach.

“No reprimands. No firings. No problem. That's the sound of Freedom!”