Donald Trump has announced he will nominate Hung Cao, the acting US Secretary of the Navy, to hold the post permanently, requiring Senate confirmation by majority vote. The move comes amid ongoing turbulence in Pentagon leadership this year, including the recent resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll following friction with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and highlights the administration's efforts to stabilise its military top brass.

Cao has served in the role in an acting capacity since April, when his predecessor John C. Phelan was ousted following a dispute over Trump's "Golden Fleet" shipbuilding plan. Trump praised Cao on Truth Social as a "Warfighter" who should be confirmed "ASAP", while a source told the New York Post that Phelan had struggled to accelerate the shipbuilding programme and was poorly regarded within the administration. The Golden Fleet plan reportedly involves constructing a new class of nuclear-capable "Trump-class" battleships weighing 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.