Hung Cao: “If confirmed as Under Secretary of the Navy, I will deliver the most lethal Navy and Marine Corps the world has ever seen.
Semper Fi and Hooyah.”
From Senate hearing:
“Senators, thank you again, and thank you for President Trump. I’m joined today by my beautiful wife of more than 26 years. April is the mother of our five children: Midshipman First Class Gabriel Cao, a senior at the United States Naval Academy; Grace, Claire, Evelyn, and Liam. Like so many military spouses, April endured multiple moves across the country and overseas. She gave birth to our first child while I was deployed for the invasion of Iraq. During my deployments, she was both mother and father, as well as handyman, nurse, teacher, and coach. And like all military spouses, her heart stopped as she prayed every time there was a knock at the door or every time the phone rang. Thank you, honey, for standing by my side all of these years as we served the nation. You are the love of my life.
I would like to give praise and glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without whom I would not be here today. April 30th of this year marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, when my family and I fled Vietnam. America gave us hope and opportunity, and I have tried to repay that debt my entire life. I commissioned as a special operations officer from the United States Naval Academy. As a Navy diver, I led underwater missions across the world. As an EOD technician, I defused bombs for our SEAL teams and special forces teams in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. I spent several tours in the Pentagon writing requirements and later programming the Navy’s budget. I saw firsthand the breakdown of our acquisitions process, which precludes us from outpacing our enemies. We are facing the biggest threat since the Cold War. While we’re fighting terrorists in the desert, the Chinese have spread across the globe, but their biggest objective is to crush the United States. One thing will stand in their way: our Navy and Marine Corps team. We are America’s 9-1-1 force, capable of being anywhere at any time, as a carrier strike group, or as a Marine air-ground task force. The American people have given President Trump a clear mandate to protect our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. President Trump has empowered everyone in the Department of Defense, from Secretary Hegseth down, to achieve one clear task: Peace through strength.
If confirmed, I will deliver to the combatant commanders the most lethal Navy and Marine Corps the world has ever seen. But we have a lot of work to do. Years of neglect and mismanagement have resulted in ships that cannot get underway, aircraft that cannot fly, and submarines that cannot dive because we chose to defer maintenance as a cost-cutting tool. Military bureaucracy and the acquisition process have slowed down the production of not only ships and submarines but also bombs, missiles, and torpedoes. Recruiting and retention fell because we chose to prioritize the individual over unit cohesion. We must restore the warrior spirit that my generation relied on as a core of our ethos. We must restore America’s fighting force.
Senators, we have a generation eager to serve and sacrifice for this nation. They grew up in the digital age where technology evolved at quantum speed. They deserve the best training and weapons available. Their intrinsic desire to solve problems using technology should not be stifled by red tape. I ask this Congress to embrace bold new ideas and be ready to move out with a purpose. We cannot solve the problems of tomorrow with the solutions of yesterday.
Take it from this warrior: War must be the last resort, but if war comes, let it be swift and decisive. If confirmed, I will work with industry to build capacity in ship, aircraft, and submarine production. And where capacity falls short, our capabilities in electronic warfare and hypersonic weapons will overcome. Our military families deserve the dignity of safe and healthy housing. They deserve responsive medical care. If confirmed, I will honor the sacrifice of America’s sons and daughters by ensuring they have every tool necessary to be the deadliest threat to our enemies. And to our enemies, and those who mean to do us harm: You can run, but you’ll only die tired.
And to my fellow sailors and Marines, know this: I’m never above you, never below you, I’m always beside you. Semper Fi and Hooyah.”