WASHINGTON — The Senate today confirmed former Navy officer Hung Cao, by a vote of 52-45, as the next undersecretary of the Navy.
Cao, a retired captain and diver, was tapped by the White House to be undersecretary in February. His nomination was sent to lawmakers in March, and he has awaited a final vote on the Senate floor since his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in June.
His confirmation makes him the second-most senior civilian in the Department of the Navy behind Secretary John Phelan, who was confirmed in March. Brett Seidle, a career Navy civilian, has been performing the duties of the undersecretary up to now.
The Navy’s secretariat includes the secretary, the undersecretary, four assistant secretaries and a general counsel. Of those positions, only Phelan and Cao are confirmed by the Senate; the officials holding the other positions are all in acting capacities.
Cao’s confirmation comes as the rest of Capitol Hill is ensnared in what has become the first government shutdown since late 2018 with no clear end in sight.
Separately, the website tracking White House nominations sent to Congress today indicated Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, currently the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare, was tapped to receive a fourth star. Defense Scoop first reported Thomas had been selected as the next commander of US Fleet Forces Command, which was vacated by Adm. Daryl Caudle when he became the chief of naval operations.
A spokesperson for the Navy declined to comment on the nomination.
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Valerie Insinna contributed reporting to this story.