Overview

• Cao becomes the department’s No. 2 civilian under Secretary John Phelan after a largely party-line confirmation, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski the lone Republican no vote.
• As undersecretary, he will oversee daily management of the Navy and Marine Corps and take on long-standing production and repair backlogs across the fleet.
• A Naval Academy graduate and 25-year explosive ordnance disposal and diving officer, Cao previously ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2022 and the U.S. Senate in 2024.
• Democrats cited his 2024 campaign remarks criticizing Pentagon DEI efforts and a Navy recruiting drag event, concerns flagged by Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed.
• The vote occurred during a government shutdown, as the White House also advanced Vice Adm. Karl Thomas to lead U.S. Fleet Forces Command, according to USNI News.