Hung Cao vows to accelerate shipbuilding in first comments as acting Navy secretary

Published April 25, 2026 4:57pm ET



Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao has vowed to ramp up shipbuilding in his first remarks since taking over for John Phelan, who was fired from the high-level role last week.

In a roughly 40-second “message to the force” posted to X on Saturday, Cao outlined his three priorities for the Navy.

Already a print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.