Trump Taps Hung Cao as Navy Secretary

President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated Hung Cao, a retired Navy captain who has been running the service in an acting capacity since April, to be the permanent secretary of the Navy.

Trump announced the pick on Truth Social, calling Cao a patriot and urging the Senate to confirm him quickly.

"We need Patriots like Hung leading our Navy and Marine Corps, and I can think of no one better than him to make sure our Great Navy and Marine Corps remain the FIERCEST and BEST Force the World has ever seen," Trump wrote, asking senators to act "so he can continue the fantastic work he has been doing over the past 4 months."

The nomination lands one day after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned following months of friction with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and while U.S. forces are again trading strikes with Iran.

Who Is Hung Cao

Cao is a retired Navy captain and special operations veteran with 25 years of service, according to the Washington Examiner.

He served as Navy undersecretary under Secretary John Phelan, then stepped up when Phelan left the administration shortly after the Iran war began.

Before joining the administration, Cao ran two unsuccessful campaigns in Virginia — Republican nominee in the 10th Congressional District in 2022, and the GOP nominee against Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in the 2024 Senate race.

When he took the acting job, Cao pledged to deliver on Trump's push to ramp up shipbuilding, a goal Phelan had struggled to meet.