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To the complete liberal retards on here….this is why I own you EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Hung Cao (born August 3, 1971, in Saigon, South Vietnam) is a retired U.S. Navy Captain, decorated combat veteran, politician, and current acting United States Secretary of the Navy (since April 22, 2026). He previously served as the 35th Under Secretary of the Navy (sworn in October 2025). 
Early Life and Education
Cao fled Vietnam as a four-year-old refugee in 1975 with his family after the fall of Saigon. They spent time in West Africa (his father worked for USAID in guy) before settling in Virginia around 1982. He graduated with the inaugural class of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. 
He enlisted in the Navy in 1989 as a Seaman Recruit, then attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering. He later earned a Master’s of Science in Applied Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School (2008) and completed fellowships at MIT (Seminar XXI) and Harvard Kennedy School. 
Military Background and Career
Cao served over 30 years on active duty (1989–2021), retiring as a Captain. He was commissioned as a Special Operations Officer and specialized in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), deep-sea/salvage diving, and related fields. He qualified as a Navy Special Operations Officer, EOD Officer, Diving Officer, Naval Parachutist, and Surface Warfare Officer. He earned badges including the Command Ashore Badge, Navy Diving Officer Badge, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Warfare Officer Badge. 
Key roles and deployments:
• Diving and Salvage: Led underwater missions worldwide. As operations officer aboard the USNS Grasp, he led the Navy team that recovered the bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette after their 1999 plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard. 
• Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD): Led counter-improvised explosive device (IED) and counter-threat missions supporting Special Warfare and Special Forces. Multiple combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. 
• Later Tours: Commanded the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Florida (around 2013–2016). Served in roles balancing the Navy’s ~$140 billion budget at the Pentagon, working with Homeland Security and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, and leading sensitive activities, exploitation, counter-messaging, and counter-drone operations for Geographic Combatant Commanders and Special Operations Command. He was also involved with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. 
He is described as a decorated combat veteran and commanded various special operations units. His service included humanitarian and training efforts, such as working with bomb squads. 
Post-Military and Political Career
After retiring in October 2021, Cao worked as vice president and client executive at CACI International. He ran as a Republican for U.S. House (Virginia’s 10th district) in 2022 (lost to Jennifer Wexton) and for U.S. Senate in 2024 (lost to Tim Kaine in the general election after winning the GOP primary). He has been involved in veterans’ and special operations advocacy. 
He and his wife April have five children and live in Virginia. He is a Christian. 
Cao’s story is often highlighted as an embodiment of the American Dream, rising from refugee to senior Navy leadership and political candidate. His military record is a core part of his public profile.
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