President Trump nominates Hung Cao for permanent Secretary of the Navy position
President Trump nominated Hung Cao to serve as the permanent Secretary of the Navy. Cao, a retired Navy captain and former Navy undersecretary, has served in the acting capacity for the position since April.
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The nomination now moves to the Senate for confirmation. Cao is a decorated special operations officer who served as a Navy diver and explosive ordnance disposal officer. His career included deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. As undersecretary, Cao headed recruitment and personnel policy, where he implemented an executive order to reinstate service members discharged due to the Covid-19 vaccine mandate. The administration announced the nomination of Cao, who previously ran for Congress in Virginia. During a 2024 debate, Cao stated that the military needs alpha males and alpha females to win wars. The previous Navy secretary, John Phelan, was fired following tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over shipbuilding reform and a close relationship with a previous administration. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell described Cao as a proven leader with substantial operational and institutional experience.