Overview
- Hung Cao, speaking Tuesday at the Modern Day Marine expo in Washington, used his first appearance as acting Navy secretary to tell industry to “move forward” and open the field to new suppliers.
- He proposed buying compatible missiles from multiple vendors to speed deliveries, saying the Navy should not wait on a single producer to reach needed quantities.
- The Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 plan requests $70.5 billion for missiles after heavy use in Middle East operations, and the Navy seeks $65.8 billion for shipbuilding to expand output.
- He described the Golden Fleet as an acquisition shift that fields a mix of high-end warships and lower-cost vessels supported by unmanned systems to match different missions.
- He also told the audience he wants “alpha males and alpha females” in uniform and said he does not need “cross-dressers,” signaling a harder-edged culture stance as he steps in after John Phelan’s departure last week.