Trump Names Hung Cao For Permanent Navy Job Amid Hegseth’s Pentagon Shakeup

US President Donald Trump has announced that he will nominate acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for the permanent position, adding another major development to a sweeping leadership shakeup at the Pentagon under Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Trump announced the move on Tuesday and urged the Senate to confirm Cao “ASAP,” calling the former Navy officer a “true warrior.” Cao, who served for 25 years and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, has been acting Navy secretary since April after John Phelan left the post following reported tensions with Hegseth.

The nomination comes just days after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned following months of clashes with Hegseth. Driscoll reportedly raised concerns with the administration over Army transformation and readiness, including Hegseth’s moves involving senior military leadership. His departure followed the removal of Army Chief of Staff General Randy George and other senior officials.

The result is an extraordinary leadership vacuum at the Army, with both its top civilian and military positions caught up in the upheaval. Critics say Hegseth is pushing out officials who disagree with him and building a Pentagon where personal loyalty matters more than professional disagreement. The administration says the changes are intended to improve readiness, lethality and alignment with Trump’s priorities.

Cao’s nomination is significant because he is considered more closely aligned with Hegseth than officials who have clashed with the defense secretary. His permanent appointment would give the Navy a Senate confirmed civilian leader while the service faces enormous operational pressure.

The US Navy has been heavily committed to the ongoing Iran war, with the USS Abraham Lincoln spending months deployed. The prolonged operation has raised concerns over crew fatigue, maintenance and the readiness of the wider fleet. A classified Pentagon assessment reportedly warned that continuing large scale operations against Iran could weaken America’s ability to respond elsewhere. Senior commanders have also raised concerns about extended deployments, while the Navy’s top officer warned that the current operational tempo could not continue indefinitely.

The wider turmoil has intensified scrutiny of Hegseth, a former television host and National Guard veteran who entered the Pentagon with limited experience managing a huge national security bureaucracy. Yet Trump chose him largely because of his close political alignment and loyalty.

Hegseth is also facing reports that he could harbor 2028 presidential ambitions, although he denies them. His recent trip to Iowa in a personal capacity fueled speculation, while Trump has refused to completely rule out Hegseth as a future political contender.

For now, however, Hegseth has a more immediate challenge: running a Pentagon fighting a major war while senior leaders depart and military readiness comes under growing pressure.

Trump’s decision to nominate Hung Cao may fill one important vacancy. But it also raises a bigger question: Is the administration simply replacing departing officials, or fundamentally reshaping America’s military leadership around people it trusts?