Staff Reports
President Donald J. Trump just made it official on social media: he wants Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao to run the Navy and Marine Corps for good. The president called Cao a “true WARRIOR” and told the Senate to confirm him ASAP. Cao has been running the Navy on an acting basis and has already been pushing the administration’s big shipbuilding and warfighting plans.
Why the nomination matters
This is about more than titles and headlines. The Navy needs ships, sailors, and a strong fighting culture — not endless studies and feel‑good slogans. Hung Cao comes at this job with real experience: a long Navy career, dangerous deployments, and a record as an explosive ordnance disposal officer and diver. He’s also a Vietnamese refugee who lived the American promise and then served it. That kind of background matters when you’re asking shipbuilders to crank out hulls and sailors to get ready for real warfighting.
Where the process stands — and the paperwork gap
Put down your victory lap for a second. The president’s social‑media post is a public nomination in spirit, but the formal paperwork still needs to be sent to the Senate. Until the White House transmits a formal nomination and the Senate assigns a PN number, the clock for hearings and a vote doesn’t start. Given Cao’s prior under‑secretary confirmation was a close 52–45 vote and he’s run in partisan races, expect some Senate fireworks. That’s politics — but let’s be clear: a delay in paperwork shouldn’t delay Navy readiness.
What Cao has actually done while acting secretary
As acting secretary, Cao has pushed the “Golden Fleet” shipbuilding plan and made warfighting the priority at the top of the Navy’s list. The FY27 shipbuilding plan he’s backed is being called the roadmap to rebuild fleet size. He’s also been blunt about restoring a warrior ethos across the service. Critics who prefer committee memos to corvettes will complain; the rest of us want a Navy that can win at sea.
Senators who care about national defense should move quickly and confirm a proven leader who has already been steering the Navy toward strength. If Washington wants to play slow-motion games, enemies will not wait. President Trump has picked a warfighter with a record to match the rhetoric — now it’s the Senate’s turn to either back the fleet or stand in its way.
