Hung Cao, Navy Veteran, Acting Secretary of the Navy | SOF News
A retired Naval EOD officer with multiple combat deployments, Hung Cao, is now the Acting Secretary of the Navy.
sof.newsHere’s the latest I can share based on recent reporting:
- Hung Cao has been serving as the acting Secretary of the Navy after a leadership shake-up in April 2026. Several outlets reported his interim role and focus on sustaining shipbuilding momentum and readiness during the transition period.
- Earlier in late 2025, Cao was confirmed as Under Secretary of the Navy, which positioned him as a senior civilian leader with broad responsibility for Navy operations and budgeting. This establishes his long-term role prior to the 2026 acting secretary transition.
- Coverage outside official channels has highlighted Cao’s background as a Vietnam refugee and former Navy captain, with emphasis on his experience in special operations and personnel management. Note that some sources are from opinion or defense-focused outlets, and timelines vary across reports.
If you’d like, I can pull together a short timeline of the key events (dates, titles, and source citations) or summarize the competing perspectives from different outlets. I can also filter for sources from official Navy statements to confirm the current status.