Vietnamese-Born Refugee and Acting Navy Secretary Is Chosen to Lead the Service Amid Concerns Over Extended Deployments and Readiness
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will nominate Hung Cao as the next secretary of the Navy, according to a post on Truth Social.
Cao has served as acting secretary since April 22, following the departure of John Phelan.
“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 said in his post.
Cao thanked Trump in a post on X.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime to lead the great warriors of the Navy and Marine Corps team,” Cao said Tuesday. “I’m grateful for your leadership and support as we continue to get after shipbuilding and ensure the defense of the homeland.”
Cao’s nomination comes as Democrats have raised concerns about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and the impact of its extended deployment on sailors’ mental health and the Navy’s overall readiness.
The Navy acknowledged Tuesday that combat with Iran in the Middle East has disrupted operations at supply hubs, including those serving the USS Lincoln, whose deployment was extended in May. The service responded by prioritizing deliveries to the carrier, beginning with food, followed by hygiene products and crew mail.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrived in the Middle East on Aug. 19, providing relief for the USS Lincoln. The USS Washington was the fourth aircraft carrier to be engaged in the Iran war.
Cao arrived in the United States as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975. His family later moved to West Africa for his father’s work as a USAID contractor before Cao’s mother returned to the United States with her children when he was 12. The family settled in Northern Virginia.
In 1989, Cao entered the Navy as a seaman recruit and later attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating and receiving his commission as a special operations officer in 1996. He specialized in explosive ordnance disposal and deep-sea diving during a military career that included deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He became undersecretary of the Navy in October 2025 and assumed the role of acting secretary of the Navy on April 22, 2026.
