Updated Sept. 1, 2026, 10:12 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump said he intends to nominate acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao to serve in the role permanently, a move that comes amid a series of high-profile military leadership departures.
Cao has served in an acting capacity as the civilian head of the Navy since April, when Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth fired his predecessor, John Phelan, after months of tension with other Pentagon leaders. The nomination also comes a day after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to the president.
“I am pleased to nominate a true WARRIOR, Hung Cao, to become the next Secretary of the Navy,” Trump said in a post on social media. “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,” Trump added.
In addition to Driscoll, Gen. Christopher Donahue, the Army’s commander in Europe and Africa, left his post in June after Hegseth downgraded his command. In April, Gen. Randy George, the Army’s top officer, was abruptly asked to step down from his role and retire.
Cao thanked Trump for nominating him in a social media post.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime to lead the great warriors of the Navy and Marine Corps team,” Cao wrote on X. “I’m grateful for your leadership and support as we continue to get after shipbuilding and ensure the defense of the homeland.”
Cao, who immigrated to the United States with his family from Vietnam, served in the Navy for more than 30 years before retiring in 2021. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2022 as a Republican in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District and for Senate in 2024 against Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia.
During his 2024 Senate race, Cao made headlines for his comments disparaging diversity, equity, and inclusion in military recruitment.”What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds,” Cao said in 2024 during a debate with Kaine.
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