Trump Desperately Plugs Hole After Mass Military Exodus

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are scrambling to fill a gaping hole in their senior military leadership.

The defense secretary, 46, has overseen the exit of top military figures on a scale not seen in modern times, with firings and walkouts galore as he reimagines the armed forces to fit his precise ideology and perception of masculinity .

There are now gaps at the top aplenty, one of which Hegseth and Trump, 80, are now scrambling to fill against the backdrop of the war in Iran: Navy secretary.

Trump has tapped Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, who has been in the role since Navy Secretary John Phelan stepped down with little explanation in April.

The acting secretary can now take on the role permanently, pending Senate approval, after Trump nominated him on Tuesday.

Cao, who ABC13 reports is in his fifties and the Navy says came to the U.S. as a Vietnamese refugee, is a former special operations officer and captain who retired in 2021 to join the Pentagon.

He ran in Virginia’s 10th congressional district in 2022 and for the Senate in 2024.

Both times he had Trump’s endorsement.

Both times he lost.

“I am pleased to nominate a true WARRIOR, Hung Cao, to become the next Secretary of the Navy,” Trump said as he tapped Cao.

“We need Patriots like Hung leading our Navy and Marine Corps, and I can think of no one better than him to make sure our Great Navy and Marine Corps remain the FIERCEST and BEST Force the World has ever seen.

The Senate needs to confirm this Warfighter, ASAP, so he can continue the fantastic work he has been doing over the past 4 months.” The nomination comes just after the high-profile departure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who quit after a series of clashes with Hegseth.

Driscoll, a JD Vance ally, reportedly disagreed with the former Fox & Friends Weekend host over removing top leaders, with The New York Times reporting that Hegseth has now blocked the promotions of or fired 80 generals and admirals.

In his latest attack, Hegseth targeted seven officers selected by a board of senior military officials for promotion to two-star general.