Trump picks acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for permanent role
US President Donald Trump has nominated Hung Cao, the acting Navy secretary, to lead the Navy and Marine Corps permanently, amid concerns about sailor fatigue during the Iran war and turmoil in Pentagon leadership.
Trump announced Tuesday on social media that he is nominating Hung Cao to be permanent secretary of the Navy. Cao has served as acting secretary since John Phelan left the post unexpectedly and without explanation in late April. Unlike Phelan, a businessman without military or civilian service experience, Cao is a 25-year Navy veteran who served as a special operations officer with SEAL teams and special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump called him a "true WARRIOR" and urged the Senate to confirm him quickly.
Cao himself said the nomination was the honor of a lifetime to lead the Navy and Marine Corps team. Before becoming acting secretary, he was undersecretary of the Navy. He has championed returning to duty service members who refused the Biden-era COVID-19 vaccine mandate. He also expressed no objection to the Blue Angels demonstration squadron flying so low over a crowded Florida beach in July that chairs and tents went flying.
The nomination comes as some Democrats in Congress argue the Navy is being overtaxed. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has been on a nine-month deployment supporting the Iran war, including a record-setting uninterrupted period at sea. Concerns about crew mental health and shortages of food and hygiene products have led lawmakers such as Senators Richard Blumenthal and Ruben Gallego to demand accountability from the Pentagon for conditions onboard.
Cao's nomination also coincides with upheaval in the top ranks of the US military. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned this week amid widespread reports of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
