Navy Under Secretary Hung Cao Earns Inaugural Wash100 Award for Advancing Readiness
Executive Mosaic is thrilled to announce that Hung Cao, the under secretary of the Navy, has been named a 2026 Wash100 Award winner. Cao is recognized for his leadership in strengthening warfighter readiness and driving enterprise-wide reform across the Department of the Navy.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate Under Secretary Cao’s first Wash100 Award, an exciting recognition of the strong momentum and fresh leadership he has already brought to the Navy. Since his confirmation in 2025, he has taken on major priorities—from modernizing the Navy’s IT and business systems to championing operational service improvements and advancing critical infrastructure readiness efforts in Guam,” Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 award.
“With decades of naval experience and a clear, forward-looking vision, Cao is quickly emerging as an influential force in GovCon. This inaugural Wash100 honor is a meaningful signal of the confidence leaders across government and industry have in his ability to help shape the Navy’s future through innovation and mission-focused impact,” Garrettson added.
Visit Wash100.com to vote for Hung Cao in the 2026 Wash100 popular vote competition. Cast your 10 votes today!
Who Is Hung Cao?
Cao’s journey to senior defense leadership spans five decades and multiple continents. He arrived in Guam as a Vietnamese refugee in 1975, moved briefly to West Africa and later settled in Virginia.
Hung Cao’s Military Career
He entered the U.S. Navy as a seaman recruit in 1989, was commissioned as a special operations officer from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1996 and went on to serve 25 years on active duty.
As a Navy diver and explosive ordnance disposal officer, Cao led underwater operations and counter-improvised threat missions worldwide, with multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. In his final tour, he directed sensitive activities, exploitation, counter-messaging and counter-drone operations supporting geographic combatant commanders and the U.S. Special Operations Command.
He retired as a captain in October 2021.
Hung Cao at CACI
Following his military retirement, Cao joined CACI International as a solutions architect in 2021.
He was appointed as vice president and client executive focused on Navy and Marine Corps needs in 2023. In the role, he supported the fielding of electronic warfare, counter-drone, enterprise IT, photonics and shipyard infrastructure optimization systems in direct support of DON.
Hung Cao Becomes Navy Leader
President Donald Trump nominated Cao as under secretary of the Navy in February 2025. The president called Cao the “embodiment of the American Dream.”
“As a refugee to our great nation, Hung worked tirelessly to make proud the country that gave his family a home,” Trump said.
“With Hung’s experience both in combat and in the Pentagon, he will get the job done,” he added.
The Senate confirmed Cao as under secretary of the Navy during a vote on Oct. 1. He received 52-45 votes in favor of his appointment.
Shortly after, he was sworn in as the second-highest-ranking civilian official in DON. In the role, he oversees nearly one million Navy, Marine Corps and civilian personnel.
A decorated combat veteran, Cao holds a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree in applied physics from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Why Has Hung Cao Won the 2026 Wash100 Award?
Hung Cao is being honored for transformational leadership at the enterprise level, where he is aligning people, systems and standards to directly enhance fleet readiness and combat effectiveness.
Leading Efforts to Strengthen Warrior Ethos
In October 2025, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan established a new cross-departmental portfolio led by Cao to strengthen warrior ethos and improve the quality of service across the Navy and the Marine Corps. The initiative consolidates personnel policy, housing, healthcare, digital systems, audit readiness and family support under a single leadership framework to eliminate bureaucratic friction and accelerate improvements that translate to combat power.
Under Cao’s leadership, the portfolio ties service member readiness and family well-being directly to operational performance, reinforcing the principle that readiness begins at home and manifests on the battlefield.
The 2026 Wash100 Award popular competition is currently happening on Wash100.com! Make Cao the champion for this year’s competition by casting your votes here.
Equipping Guam to Strengthen U.S. National Security
In addition to his role as Navy under secretary, Cao also serves as the senior defense official for Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
During his first official visit to Guam in October 2025, Cao met with Vietnam veterans, local leaders and junior service members stationed at Naval Base Guam, Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz and Andersen Air Force Base, gaining firsthand perspectives on quality-of-life and mission support challenges. He also engaged with Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero to discuss strengthening civil-military cooperation and enhancing the island’s role as a critical power-projection platform in the Indo-Pacific.
“He told me very confidently that the Pentagon, the White House, and Congress remain very focused on providing resources here to strengthen Guam’s role in the defense of our nation,” Guerrero shared. “We talked about Guam’s top priorities—our new hospital, cybersecurity, infrastructure, cabotage, workforce development, and transportation—and how these investments are critical to a solid defense posture.”
Accelerating the Navy’s Acquisition Process
In his written statement for his Senate confirmation hearing in June, Cao emphasized the need for the Navy to revamp the acquisitions process. He warned lawmakers that bureaucracy has slowed down the production of ships, submarines, bombs, missiles and torpedoes.
Moreover, he said red tape is also stifling an intrinsic desire for young sailors to utilize technologies to address problems.
“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,” he stated. “They deserve the best training and weapons available.”
What is the U.S. Navy?
The U.S. Navy is America’s sea-based military force, charged with protecting national interests at home and abroad. As a maritime nation, the United States relies on the Navy to deter and defeat threats, safeguard the homeland and keep global sea lanes open to preserve economic prosperity.
Working alongside allies and partners, the Navy defends freedom and stability in an era of long-term strategic competition.
The Navy comprises approximately 340,000 active-duty sailors supporting global operations.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Cao for his first Wash100 win and looks forward to his continued leadership in transforming the Navy to meet modern battlefield needs!
Do not forget to vote for Cao in the 2026 Wash100 popular vote competition.