Trump taps Hung Cao, a 25-year Navy combat veteran, as Navy secretary nominee
Trump nominates Hung Cao, the acting Navy secretary and a Vietnam-born combat veteran, and urges the Senate to confirm him as quickly as possible.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump nominated Hung Cao, the acting secretary of the Navy and a 25-year combat veteran, to lead the service permanently. Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, calling Cao a warrior and urging the Senate to confirm him quickly.
Trump praised Cao’s work over the past four months and framed the nomination as a bid to keep the Navy and Marine Corps a dominant fighting force. He directed his appeal at senators, whose confirmation Cao would need to hold the post beyond his acting role.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “I am pleased to nominate a true WARRIOR,Hung Cao, to become the next Secretary of the Navy. 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. The Senate needs to confirm this Warfighter, ASAP, so he can continue the fantastic work he has been doing over the past 4 months. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump” on September 1, 2026 at 6:52 PM ET.
This is Trump’s 30th message released today, and the last post was 9 minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 69 of his 671 posts over the last 30 days classified as Domestic Policy posts.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao posed at WASHINGTON D.C. on 09/01/2026.
© copyright Flickr with permission
Cao came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975, spent a few years in West Africa and moved to Virginia as a child, according to soaa. He was commissioned as a Special Operations Officer in explosive ordnance disposal and deep sea diving from the United States Naval Academy and served with special operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, according to soaa. His non-combat assignments included balancing the Navy’s $140 billion budget at the Pentagon and working with Homeland Security and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to soaa. Cao holds a master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School and completed fellowships at MIT and Harvard, according to hungforva.
Cao stepped in to lead the department after the departure of former Navy Secretary John Phelan, who unexpectedly left the post in April, according to pbs. No reason was given for Phelan’s departure, which came as the sea service imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and targeted ships linked to Tehran during a tenuous ceasefire, according to pbs. The Department of War announced that Phelan was stepping down with immediate effect, with Cao set to take over as acting secretary, according to newsonair.gov.in.
Cao testified before a House subcommittee on the budget as an acting secretary who ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and House in Virginia, according to pbs. Questions swirled after his first week in charge, when he fired Chief of Naval Intelligence Rob Townley and canceled a reorganization effort launched by Phelan, according to defensescoop. A Department of Navy spokesperson said Townley was no longer a department employee and wished him well, according to defensescoop.
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