Hung Cao, the newly minted acting Navy Secretary, earned a reputation on the campaign trail as a partisan firebrand walking in lockstep with some of Donald Trump’s most controversial policies.
But inside the Pentagon — where he served as Navy undersecretary until his abrupt promotion on Wednesday — Cao has built substantial credibility for being a quick study on shipbuilding and managing turmoil after turnover wracked the service last year, according to four people familiar with the dynamics.
The sudden departure of his predecessor, John Phelan, from the secretary job comes at a perilous time for a service juggling multiple blockades around the globe, a war in Iran and a growing threat from China’s expanding navy. But for all of Cao’s culture warrior bona fides and political baggage, officials in and and around the military said he’s a straight shooter — and has the full backing of the White House.
His elevation is also a pivotal moment for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose decision to dismiss Phelan appears to have buy-in from Trump — despite the president’s longtime relationship with the wealthy financier.
“The president is really passionate about shipbuilding, and it hasn’t been happening at the rate he wants to see,” said a senior administration official. “He and Pete met to talk it over on Monday night and by the end of the meeting they decided it was time to have Phelan move on.”
Trump on Thursday painted the departure as Phelan’s decision, calling him a “long time friend” on social media “who did an “outstanding job” of leading the Navy for a little more than a year.
But Cao, who ran unsuccessfully as a Republican against Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, falls more in line with Hegseth’s social and cultural views than Phelan, a former investment banker and Trump donor.
“When you’re using a drag queen to recruit from the Navy, that’s not the people you want,” Cao said in a debate with Kaine last year. “What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds. Those are young men and women that are going to win wars."
Cao, a former refugee who immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam as a child, spent more than two decades in the Navy, including deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. One of the people familiar said that Cao was scheduled to visit the White House on Wednesday to talk about his plans for the acting job.
“He's worked in the building, is a naval officer, and has the political support in both the admin and Navy to — in theory — be quite effective and get stuff done,” said an industry official, who like others interviewed, was granted anonymity to discuss internal conversation. The person added that Cao was “very sharp” on details of shipbuilding programs “which is rare for a high level political appointee.”
Cao, in an email statement, said he was “grateful” for the opportunity to serve in the Navy’s top role on an acting basis. “I have moved out with the duties and responsibilities of the office,” he said. “My immediate priorities are taking care of our sailors and marines, advancing shipbuilding initiatives and ensuring the defense of our homeland.”
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Cao "embodies the relentless grit and America First vision required to maintain America's maritime superiority.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Phelan didn’t want to listen to Hegseth and showed up in the West Wing lobby to speak with Trump, the senior administration official said. “Finally, the president brought him in for two minutes and reiterated that he had to go.”
Phelan did not respond to requests for comment.
Congressional Democrats were quick to criticize Cao’s new role.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) wrote on X that it was foolish to make such a dramatic leadership change amid the war with Iran. “Our servicemembers in harm’s way deserve better,” he said, citing Cao’s alpha male comment.
Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee said they are concerned about Cao’s temperament and ability to step into the senior leadership role, even temporarily.
Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) labeled Cao “another example of bringing chaos into the military.” Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) said he does not have confidence Cao will bring stability to the critical military role.
“He’s a failed congressional candidate from Virginia,” he said. “The people of Virginia didn’t think much about him, but now he somehow qualifies to lead the Navy in this administration."
Phelan’s departure — and Cao’s promotion — comes as U.S. warships execute a series of missions in the Middle East and around South America.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier this month broke a modern record for the longest deployment at sea, which is nearing 10 months. Lawmakers have also been warning of a wave of vessels that will need maintenance work when they return from the conflict, potentially swamping U.S. shipyards.
How long those will be Cao’s problem remains unclear. There’s no indication yet Trump is set to quickly nominate Cao or anyone else for the job permanently. Cao was confirmed for the under secretary role by the Senate last summer in a narrow party-line vote, with every Democrat and one Republican — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) — opposed to his nomination.
The sluggish pace of efforts to expand the fleet to 350 ships or more will remain a key focus of lawmakers, regardless of who Trump selects. Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), a Trump loyalist, warned that China’s advantage in shipbuilding “grows daily.”
"The next Navy secretary must urgently work with Congress to make American shipbuilding great again before it is too late," he said.
But House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) said he has full confidence in Cao, who he has worked with through the Virginia Republican Party for years.
“He’s very capable,” he said. “Where he has been operating in the Pentagon, he had situational awareness of all the things that are going on. So he is well equipped to address the challenges ahead.”
