President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is nominating acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for the permanent position, elevating a Navy combat veteran as concerns intensify over the demands placed on sailors during the war with Iran.
Cao has held the acting role since John Phelan unexpectedly departed in late April without an explanation for his exit.
Cao previously served as Navy undersecretary and spent 25 years in the service as a special operations officer.
He later served with SEAL teams and special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, giving him a military background that differed sharply from Phelan, who had neither served in the armed forces nor held a civilian leadership position in the service before becoming Navy secretary.
Trump announced the nomination on social media and urged the Senate to confirm Cao quickly.
Cao described the nomination as the “honor of a lifetime to lead the great warriors of the Navy and Marine Corps team.”
Before becoming acting secretary, Cao championed the return to duty of service members who had refused a Biden-era COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
He also defended the Blue Angels after the Navy demonstration squadron flew low over a crowded Florida beach in July, sending chairs and tents flying.
The nomination comes as scrutiny grows over the Navy’s operational demands during the Iran war, with some Democrats in Congress arguing that the service has been overtaxed.
The USS Abraham Lincoln’s nine-month deployment in support of the war included a record-setting uninterrupted period at sea.
Reports of deteriorating mental health among crew members and shortages of food and hygiene products have heightened concerns about conditions aboard the aircraft carrier.
Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona are among lawmakers pressing the Pentagon for accountability over the conditions.
Cao’s nomination also arrives amid broader upheaval in senior U.S. military leadership.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation this week amid widespread reports of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.