White House sends Cao's SECNAV nomination to Senate

The Honorable Hung Cao, Acting Secretary of the Navy, delivers his remarks during the commissioning ceremony for USS Idaho (SSN 799) at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn. on April 25, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by John Narewski)

WASHINGTON — The White House has sent Hung Cao’s nomination to serve as Secretary of the Navy to the Senate, along with other Navy leaders’ nominations, according to a White House release.

President Donald Trump announced earlier this month his plans to nominate Cao, who previously served as Under Secretary of the Navy, to the post. Cao has served as Acting Secretary of the Navy since April, following the departure of former Secretary of the Navy John Phelan.

“I am pleased to nominate a true WARRIOR, Hung Cao, to become the next Secretary of the Navy,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sept. 1. “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.”

Cao first enlisted in the Navy as a seaman recruit in 1989, before graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1996. He completed deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, totaling more than 20 years as a naval officer before retiring in 2021 from the service as a captain.

As a result, Cao will need a House and Senate waiver to serve as Secretary of the Navy, since US service secretaries are required to have been retired for at least seven years.

After Cao’s retirement, he became a vice president and client executive at CACI International. Additionally, he ran for Virginia’s 10th congressional seat in 2022, and challenged Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, in 2024. He lost both races.

Likewise, the White House has also sent nominations over to the Senate for William Toti to serve as undersecretary of the Navy, and for retired Vice Adm. Richard Breckenridge as an assistant secretary of the Navy.

The Navy announced in May that Toti, who previously served as a senior advisor to Deputy Secretary of Defense Steven Feinberg, had started performing the duties of the Navy’s number two civilian. Likewise, the Navy announced in June it had selected Breckenridge to serve as a senior shipbuilding advisor.