President Donald Trump has nominated Hung Cao to serve as the permanent Secretary of the US Navy, four months after Cao assumed the position on an interim basis.
Trump announced the nomination on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“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 wrote.
Cao has served as acting Navy secretary since John Phelan unexpectedly left the position in late April without an explanation.
The nomination marks a contrast with Phelan, who had no military background and had not previously held a civilian leadership position within the service. Cao spent 25 years in the Navy as a special operations officer and served with SEAL teams and special forces units in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cao described the nomination on social media as the “honour of a lifetime to lead the great warriors of the Navy and Marine Corps team”.
Before becoming acting secretary, Cao served as the Navy’s undersecretary. He also advocated reinstating service members who had refused to comply with the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
A Trump loyalist, Cao has also defended the Navy’s demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, after they flew at such a low altitude over a crowded Florida beach in July that chairs and tents were sent flying.
By Tamilla Hasanova
