Former Navy Captain Hung Cao has been officially confirmed to serve as the Under Secretary of the Navy, the branch’s second-highest-ranking official. Cao was nominated by President Trump in February 2024 following his loss in the U.S. Senate race against Senator Tim Kaine.
A Navy captain from Loudoun County with 25 years of service, Cao gained national attention as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024. He criticized what he described as the Navy’s “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives, famously stating during a debate that recruiting through “a drag queen” was unacceptable. He argued for a focus on “alpha males and alpha females” who would “rip out their own guts, eat them, and ask for seconds.”
Cao also ran for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District in 2022 but lost to Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton. His appointment followed the withdrawal of John Phelan, a Trump nominee for Secretary of the Navy who faced scrutiny during his Senate confirmation hearing.
Cao’s career includes participation in high-profile salvage operations, including the search and rescue mission to recover the body of JFK Jr. after his 1999 plane crash. As the operations officer, he led the effort at Martha’s Vineyard to retrieve the plane, along with the bodies of JFK Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette.
Cao, who fled Vietnam before the fall of Saigon and served in combat zones including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, described the salvage mission as a somber but necessary task. He emphasized the importance of such efforts in “bringing back the American spirit,” citing historical examples like post-Pearl Harbor and 9/11 recoveries.
His confirmation marks a significant step in his political and military career, though his remarks on diversity and recruitment have drawn sharp criticism.
