President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is nominating acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for the permanent post, elevating a combat veteran to lead the service as questions mount over crew conditions during the war with Iran.
Cao has run the Navy in an acting capacity since John Phelan left the job unexpectedly in late April, without a public explanation. Unlike Phelan, who arrived with no military or service leadership background, Cao spent 25 years in the Navy as a special operations officer.
He served alongside SEAL teams and special forces during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Before taking over as acting secretary, Cao held the role of Navy undersecretary.
“I am pleased to nominate a true WARRIOR,” Trump wrote on social media, urging the Senate to confirm him quickly. Cao described the appointment as the “honor of a lifetime to lead the great warriors of the Navy and Marine Corps team.”
The nomination arrives as some lawmakers argue the Navy has been overtaxed. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has been on a nine-month deployment supporting operations against Iran, a stretch that has included a record period of uninterrupted time at sea.
Concerns grew after reports of deteriorating mental health among the Lincoln’s crew and shortages of food and hygiene supplies. Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona are pressing the Pentagon for accountability over conditions aboard the ship.
The extended carrier presence follows a period of sharp escalation in the Gulf, including the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year that drew the Lincoln and other assets into sustained operations.
A Trump loyalist, Cao championed the return to duty of service members discharged for refusing a Biden-era mandate to take the COVID-19 vaccine. He has also voiced support for the Navy’s demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels.
Cao appeared at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July 2024. His nomination now moves to the Senate for confirmation.