Hung Cao (born 1971) is an American politician and former military officer who has served as the Under Secretary of the Navy since 2025. Following the resignation of Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan in April 2026, he became acting secretary; he has been nominated by President Donald Trump to take the role permanently. Cao has been the Republican Party's nominee in two Virginia elections: for the 10th congressional district in 2022, and for the Senate in 2024.
Early life and career
Hung Cao () was born in 1971 in Saigon, South Vietnam. His father, Quan Cao (), was a native of Quảng Trị province who studied in the Philippines on a scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation, earned a Ph.D. at Cornell University, and worked in the Ministry of Agriculture of South Vietnam, later serving as an assistant to the deputy prime minister. In 1975, shortly before the fall of Saigon, the Cao family fled to the United States. They spent some time in Niger because Cao's father, by now an agricultural specialist at USAID, was posted there.
Cao graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in 1989, being part of the first class to do so, and joined the U.S. Navy. During his years of active duty, he was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. A specialist in ordnance disposal and salvage diving, he obtained the Navy Diving Officer and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Warfare Officers Badges, led the recovery of the bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette, and Lauren Bessette following their plane crash off Martha's Vineyard, and was commanding officer of the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, near Naval Support Activity Panama City, from September 2013 to June 2016. He obtained a bachelor's degree in ocean engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1996, and a Master's of Science in Applied Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2008.
Cao retired as a captain in 2021, and was hired as a vice president of CACI, a U.S. government contractor that provides services to defense, intelligence, and homeland security agencies.
In June 2024, Cao and his wife April published the book Call Me an American: Refugee to Patriot: Lessons Learned for a Strong America. It recounts his childhood and military service and shares his views on patriotism and citizenship.
Congressional elections 2022 House bid
Cao was one of eleven candidates in the Republican primary of the 2022 election for Virginia's 10th congressional district. He placed first by about 2,800 votes, advancing to the general election against Democratic incumbent Jennifer Wexton.
Cao was considered a strong candidate in a district home to many Asian Americans and military families. He expressed support for the deregulation of government across nearly all facets of life, and his anti-abortion and pro-gun rights stances were targeted by Wexton as being too "extreme" for the district. He lost the election 53% to 47%.
2024 Senate bid
In July 2023, Cao entered the Republican primary for the following year's Senate election in Virginia. Receiving the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, he comfortably won, receiving 61.8% of the vote in a five-candidate race. In the general election, he was defeated by Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine by a margin of 54% to 45%.
In an interview during the campaign for the primary, Cao feared that "witchcraft" could intrude into Virginia, as it allegedly had in Monterey, California, and called himself an African American because of his time in Niger. In other media appearances, he claimed, as he did during his 2022 campaign, that he has lasting injuries from enemy fire. An investigation by USA Today found that he was awarded neither the Purple Heart nor the Combat Action Ribbon, both normally given to soldiers in these circumstances.
Department of the Navy Under Secretary of the Navy (2025–present) On February 28, 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Cao for the position of Under Secretary of the Navy. Cao was confirmed by the Senate on October 1 by a margin of 52-45, with Republican Lisa Murkowski joining every Democrat present in rejecting the nomination, and was sworn in by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on October 3. He was rarely involved in decisions made by the Department of the Navy, and was forbidden from attending meetings on behalf of Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan.
Acting Secretary of the Navy (2026–present)
On April 22, 2026, Phelan resigned; as Under Secretary, Cao replaced him on an interim basis. Cao took charge during the Iran War.
On July 21, 2026, Cao awarded the Navy Unit Commendation to the crew of the USS Charlotte, credited with sinking Iranian warship IRIS Dena.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, which had left its home port of Naval Air Station North Island on November 21, 2025, also became involved in the war, extending its deployment for many months. Politicians and families of the ship's crew became concerned about reports of deteriorating mental health, including suicide attempts by jumping overboard. On August 6, 2026, Cao attended two town halls with family members, revealing that the Abraham Lincoln would be relieved by the USS Theodore Roosevelt. On August 14, he released a statement which acknowledged the stresses being faced by the crew, but called media coverage "dishonest".
On September 1, 2026, Trump nominated Cao to serve permanently as Navy Secretary. A 2021 U.S. law requires that nominees for military secretaries must have been retired from the military for at least seven years. Captain Cao retired in October 2021 and will not be eligible without a congressional waiver until 2028.
On September 9, 2026, Cao admitted that Naval Support Activity Bahrain had been heavily damaged by Iran in February 2026, and that this limited the Navy's ability to support the USS Abraham Lincoln during it's deployment. He also stated that the Navy would not be returning to the base "anytime soon." The Pentagon had previously denied any impact on the base and its facilities.
Cao spoke at an October 6, 2026 event in Sparrow's Point in Baltimore to announce a $7 billion Navy contract awarded to Anduril Industries. In comments directed to global interests, Cao said "Piss us off [and] we’ll sneak into your country in the middle of the night and snatch you and your wife while you sleep in your beds.”
Personal life Cao and his wife April Lakata Cao have two sons and three daughters—one adopted from Thailand, and a pair of twins. All of their children have been homeschooled by April. The Caos live in Purcellville, Virginia, and attend Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg.
Military awards Cao's decorations, awards, and badges include:
+BadgeExplosive Ordnance Disposal Officer1st RowDefense Superior Service Medal Bronze Star Medal2nd RowMeritorious Service MedalJoint Service Commendation MedalNavy Commendation Medal with two gold stars3rd RowArmy Commendation MedalNavy Achievement Medal with three gold starsJoint Meritorious Unit Award4th RowNavy Unit Commendation ribbonCoast Guard Unit Commendation with silver OMeritorious Unit Commendation ribbon5th RowNavy E Ribbon with two silver E'sNational Defense Service Medal with one bronze starIraq Campaign Medal with three bronze stars6th RowGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service MedalHumanitarian Service Medal7th RowMilitary Outstanding Volunteer Service MedalNavy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four bronze starsNavy Overseas Service Ribbon8th RowNATO MedalNavy Marksmanship Rifle Medal with silver ENavy Marksmanship Pistol Medal with silver EBadgeMaster Explosive Ordnance Disposal Insignia (United States Navy)
Electoral history 2022 2022 Virginia 10th district GOP firehouse primary Candidate Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
6,363 42% 6,379 42.1% 6,393 42.2% 6,471 42.8% 6,562 43.5% 6,672 44.4% 6,998 46.6% 7,238 48.7% 7,729 52.3%
4,373 28.9% 4,382 30% 4,390 29% 4,433 29.3% 4,503 29.8% 4,564 30.4% 4,693 31.2% 4,800 32.3% 5,000 33.8%
1,538 10.2% 1,551 10.2% 1,555 10.3% 1,588 10.5% 1,612 10.7% 1,614 10.7% 1,733 11.5% 1,854 12.5% 2,052 13.9%
719 4.7% 721 4.8% 724 4.8% 739 4.9% 764 5.1% 794 6.3% 876 5.8% 979 6.6% colspan=2 style="text-align:center;"
621 4.1% 623 4.1% 627 4.1% 646 4.3% 678 4.5% 707 4.7% 727 4.8% colspan=4 style="text-align:center;"
612 4% 614 4.1% 619 4.1% 628 4.2% 641 4.2% 676 4.5% colspan=6 style="text-align:center;"
308 2% 308 2% 312 2.1% 328 2.2% 333 2.2% colspan=8 style="text-align:center;"
259 1.7% 262 1.7% 276 1.8% 285 1.9% colspan=10 style="text-align:center;"
232 1.5% 232 1.5% 237 1.6% colspan=12 style="text-align:center;"
64 0.4% 66 0.4% colspan=14 style="text-align:center;"
56 0.4% colspan=16 style="text-align:center;"
2024
Notes
References
External links