President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, that he is nominating acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to permanently lead the service. In a statement posted to Truth Social, the president described Cao as a “true WARRIOR” and urged the Senate to confirm him “ASAP.”
Military activity and the Iran war
Cao has served as acting secretary for the past four months, overseeing the Navy and Marine Corps. Navy is targeting ships linked to Tehran during the Iran war. President Trump stated that he can think of no one better than Cao to ensure the Navy and Marine Corps remain the world’s most formidable and superior force in history.
Departure of John Phelan
The transition to a permanent secretary follows the sudden and unexplained departure of John Phelan in late April 2026. Phelan, who had not served in the military or held a civilian leadership role in the service prior to his appointment, left the administration immediately after addressing sailors and industry professionals at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. His exit occurred amid a series of personnel changes by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had previously fired the Army’s top officer, Gen. Randy George, and various other generals and admirals.
Unlike his predecessor, Cao is a Navy combat veteran who spent 25 years in the service. He served as a special operations officer, with deployments alongside SEAL teams and special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to his current role, he served as Navy undersecretary. Upon his nomination, Cao stated on social media that it was the greatest honor of his life to lead the great warriors of the Navy and Marine Corps team.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and DEI policies
Since his appointment as acting secretary, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tasked Cao with modernizing base infrastructure, addressing quality-of-life issues for sailors and marines, and raising recruiting standards. Cao has also acted as a key point person for the administration regarding the elimination of “DEI” policies in the military and the permitting of vaccine refusal. During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Cao characterized an aircraft carrier as 99,000 tons of American diplomacy,
though he noted that ship availability hovered at approximately 60%, a figure he described as “horrid” readiness.
Cao’s public profile has been marked by controversy. Senate in Virginia, he engaged in a debate with Senator Tim Kaine, where he argued that the military should recruit elite, battle-hardened personnel who possess the extreme tenacity to endure any hardship and continue fighting. During the same campaign, a video surfaced on Real America’s Voice in which Cao discussed a KKK hood, asking for one with “slits” as eye holes rather than circles to improve his vision. Additionally, Cao has faced scrutiny regarding his service record; while he has described himself as “100% disabled” and claimed in interviews to have been “shot at” and “blown up,” his official record does not reflect a Purple Heart or the Navy’s Combat Action Ribbon. When questioned about these discrepancies by USA Today in 2024, Cao issued a statement describing the experience of being a combat veteran running for public office against a career politician.