The Secretary of the Navy is the CIVILIAN head of the Department of the Navy in the United States, which oversees both the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps and sits under the Department of Defense. Hung Cao graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1996 and served 25 years in uniform, in special operations, diving and explosive ordnance disposal roles, with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, retiring as a Captain in October 2021. He then contested elections in Virginia as a Republican — for the US House of Representatives in November 2022 and the US Senate in November 2024 — losing both. He was confirmed as the 35th Under Secretary of the Navy in October 2025 and moved up to Acting Secretary in April 2026. In August 2026, as Acting Secretary, he established the Navy's Office of the Defense Industrial Base to secure supply chains and improve shipyard infrastructure.