Hung Cao, the newly appointed acting navy secretary, is a veteran naval officer and former refugee who rose to prominence through political campaigns in Virginia marked by religious intolerance. He steps into the role after the sudden departure of John Phelan.
Background and Appointment
Cao was first appointed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to modernize base infrastructure, improve quality-of-life for sailors and marines, and raise recruiting standards. He has also been a key figure in permitting vaccine refusal and eliminating DEI policies in the military.
Controversial Statements
Cao has been outspoken about military recruiting, once stating in a debate with Tim Kaine that the military should recruit "alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them, and ask for seconds." At his confirmation hearing, he described an aircraft carrier as "99,000 tons of American diplomacy" but noted ship availability at about 60%, calling it "horrid" readiness.
Views on Naval Warfare
Cao has called for a rethink of naval warfare, saying the military lives each day like September 10, 2001, and must accelerate shipbuilding and improve technology to defeat hypersonic missiles and other threats. "We need to be ready for what happens tomorrow," he said in June 2024.
Political Career
Cao ran twice for federal office as a Republican in Virginia, losing to Representative Jennifer Wexton in 2022 and Senator Tim Kaine in 2024. His comments about Monterey being taken over by "witches" and a joke about being "African American" because he lived in Africa became campaign issues. He also expressed support for a national abortion ban.
Personal History
Cao, 55, fled Vietnam with his family at age four and lived in Niger while his father worked for USAID. He enlisted in the navy in 1989, graduated from the US Naval Academy, and served as a special operations officer, diver, and explosive ordnance technician, with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He led the team that recovered John F. Kennedy Jr.'s body. Cao retired as a captain in 2021 and holds a master's degree in applied physics from the Naval Postgraduate School.
During his confirmation hearing, Cao said, "I came to this country with nothing, as a refugee. We grew up in Africa. In 1979, when the shah of Iran was overthrown, the marines brought us into the embassy and stood watch over us. I wanted to be like those heroes, so I have dedicated my entire life to serving the military." His son graduates this year from the US Naval Academy.
