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Politics

Trump nominates acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for permanent role

The nomination follows months in an acting capacity and comes amid congressional scrutiny of naval deployments and broader military leadership turnover.

Updated Sep 2, 2026 · 01:18 UTC3 reports

The short version

  • President Donald Trump announced he is nominating acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to lead the Department of the Navy permanently.
  • Cao, a 25-year Navy combat veteran and former Navy undersecretary, has led the branch in an acting capacity since late April.
  • The nomination requires Senate confirmation as lawmakers scrutinize service member strain from extended deployments supporting the war with Iran.

Key facts

  • President Donald Trump announced the formal nomination of acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to serve as the permanent Navy secretary.[The Guardian · ABC News · Associated Press]
  • Cao served for 25 years as a Navy special operations officer, with deployments alongside SEAL teams and special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and previously served as Navy undersecretary.[The Guardian · Associated Press]
  • Cao has served as acting secretary since late April following the sudden departure of former Navy Secretary John Phelan.[The Guardian · ABC News · Associated Press]
  • Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Ruben Gallego, have raised concerns over naval strain and conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during a nine-month deployment supporting operations in the Iran war.[The Guardian · Associated Press]
  • The nomination occurs during leadership turnover across the Pentagon, following the recent resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.[The Guardian · ABC News · Associated Press]

What remains uncertain

Sources