Overview
- The Pentagon installed undersecretary Hung Cao as acting Navy secretary after John Phelan’s abrupt removal this week by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- Cao had been sidelined by Phelan as undersecretary and learned of his promotion from the Pentagon front office, according to a source who said he is now racing to get briefed.
- He inherits a Navy working to block Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz and says he will drive shipbuilding reforms that Hegseth argued Phelan slowed.
- Reporters resurfaced his past remarks about a KKK hood, claims about witches in Monterey, and attacks on a Navy drag-queen recruiter, alongside a USA Today review that found no Purple Heart or Combat Action Ribbon to support his combat injury claims.
- The Senate confirmed him as undersecretary last year on a near party-line vote, while CNN highlights internal power struggles and left-leaning outlets spotlight his rhetoric and disputed service record.