US President Trump has decided to make Hung Kao the Navy Secretary. He wrote on social media on Wednesday that he is a ‘true warrior’. He is the right person to keep the US Navy and Marine Corps the strongest military in the world. Cao is considered an officer with military experience. He has been in the US Navy for 31 years and has been part of missions in areas like Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. Cao was born in 1971 in Saigon, South Vietnam. When he was 4 years old the pro-American government in South Vietnam fell. It was captured by the communist government of North Vietnam. After this, Kao’s family fled to America. Cao, who entered politics after retiring from the Navy and was defeated twice, began his career in the U.S. Navy in 1989. Their job was to conduct dangerous undersea missions and deal with threats involving bombs or other explosives. He served in several military missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. Took command of underwater missions and also did work related to special operations. After a military career of nearly three decades, he retired with the rank of Captain in 2021. After retiring from the Navy, Kao entered politics. He ran for the House of Representatives in 2022 and the Senate in 2024 from Virginia. However, he was defeated in both the elections. In October 2025, Cao was appointed Undersecretary of the US Navy. This was the second highest post in the Navy. In April 2026, Trump fired then-Navy Secretary John Phelan. According to reports, Phelan and Defense Minister Pete Hegseth were not getting along. After this, Kao was given the responsibility of acting secretary. Since then Cao has been handling the responsibility of the US Navy. Now Trump wants to appoint him permanently to this post. How will Hung Kao become the permanent Navy Secretary? Cao’s appointment has not been confirmed yet. Actually, the job of the President is to nominate for the post of Navy Secretary. The final approval is given by the US Senate. 1. The nomination will go to the Senate. Trump’s official nomination will be sent to the Senate. After this, Cao’s record and his qualifications will be examined. 2. There will be a Senate hearing. Cao may have to appear before a Senate committee. There he can be asked questions on his thinking, naval policies, shipbuilding, military preparedness and other issues. 3. The committee will decide whether after hearing and investigation the committee can proceed with his nomination. After this the matter will go before the full Senate. 4. Voting will be held and they will vote in the name of Senator Kao. There are 100 members in the Senate, if he gets 51 votes then he will be handed over this responsibility. Why is Cao’s role important amid Iran war? Kao is going to take permanent responsibility of the Navy at a time when the US military’s campaign against Iran is going on. During this period, the deployment and work pressure of the US Navy has increased. The American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln remained deployed at sea for more than nine months. During this time, a large part of it was spent in support of the American military campaign against Iran. Due to such a long deployment, questions were raised about the fatigue, mental health and lack of essential items of the soldiers present on the ship. American lawmakers also sought answers from the Pentagon on this situation. In August, Kao defended Abraham Lincoln’s long deployment. He had said that the deployment of the ship was increased due to the need of the mission and the safety of the soldiers is of utmost importance. Therefore, after becoming Navy Secretary, Cao will be faced with the challenge of maintaining the preparedness of the Navy during the war as well as handling the pressure on the soldiers. How is Kao different from John Phelan? Before Kao, John Phelan was the Navy Secretary. Phelan did not have a military background. During his tenure, there were differences with senior Pentagon officials regarding ship construction of the US Navy. Phelan was advocating major investment to increase new warship capability. The Trump administration then put forward the ‘Golden Fleet’ plan. This involves huge expenditure on building new warships. Phelan was removed from office in April. According to reports, he also had differences with Defense Minister Pete Hegseth. In contrast, Kao is considered close to Hegseth. Especially on social and cultural issues related to the army, there is similarity in the thinking of both. In such a situation, with the appointment of Kao, the Trump administration will get an officer with military experience at the top post of the Navy as well as a person who has better coordination with the existing defense leadership. Kao will face these big challenges: As Navy Secretary, Kao will face many big challenges. These include maintaining the Navy’s combat capability, increasing construction of new ships, and reducing the pressure on troops during prolonged military operations. America is also engaged in a race for naval power with China. Increasing the US Navy’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region is one of the major priorities of the Trump administration. On the other hand, the Iran war has posed another major challenge to the US Navy in the Middle East. Cao’s long military experience may be helpful to him in these circumstances. However, the biggest challenge they will face will be to strike a balance between the Trump administration’s mega shipbuilding plans and ongoing military operations.
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