Veteran Action, an advocacy organization for military veterans, has released a new advertisement urging voters to pressure their senators into confirming Hung Cao as Secretary of the Navy. Cao currently serves as Acting Secretary of the Navy.
The group describes its mission as advocating for “America First policies that strengthen national security and provide unwavering support” to U.S. veterans.
The ad, provided exclusively to Breitbart News, opens with the story of Cao’s childhood escape from communist Vietnam with his family, quoting him saying, “America saved my life.”
It goes on to highlight his military record: “Hung Cao spent 25 years in Navy Special Operations as a Bomb Disposal Officer, diver, and parachutist, with combat tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. As Acting Secretary, he leads the fleet while America’s adversaries race to build naval power. Tell your senators to confirm Hung Cao as Secretary of the Navy.”
Mark Lucas, founder of Veteran Action, framed the push as a matter of national security in a statement accompanying the ad.
“Hung Cao is a proven warfighter who knows what it takes to win. China is expanding its navy at a rapid pace. Cao has the combat experience and leadership our Navy needs to stay ahead of that threat. Congress should pass his waiver and confirm him without delay.”
A Path From Vietnam to the U.S. Navy
Cao and his family fled Vietnam for the United States in 1975. After a period living in West Africa, he returned to the U.S. and graduated with the inaugural class of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, according to his biography on the U.S. Marine Corps website.
He enlisted in the Navy as a Seaman Recruit in 1989 and was commissioned as a Special Operations Officer from the United States Naval Academy in 1996. As a Navy Diver, he led underwater missions around the world, and as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer, he directed counter improvised threat missions for Special Warfare and Special Forces units, deploying multiple times to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
In his final tour, Cao oversaw sensitive activities, exploitation, counter-messaging and counter-drone operations supporting Geographic Combatant Commanders and Special Operations Command. He retired from active duty as a Captain in October 2021.
Rising to Acting Secretary
Cao was named Acting Secretary of the Navy in April, after Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced that former Secretary of the Navy John Phelan was leaving the post.
Veteran Action had already signaled its support for Cao’s nomination in a September 1 post on social media platform X, writing, “Cao has a remarkable American story. His family escaped Saigon before the city fell to the Communists. He was four years old. Cao says America gave him a new life in the most generous country on earth. He spent his career paying it back.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login