WASHINGTON – Hung Cao, a retired U.S. Navy captain and recent political figure, has stepped into a prominent national role as acting Secretary of the Navy following the abrupt departure of his predecessor, John Phelan. “On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a post on X. “We wish him well in his future endeavors. Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy.”
Cao’s has been a vocal supporter of President Trump’s agenda and Secretary Hegseth’s view on military readiness. “When you’re using a drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that’s not the people we want,” Cao said at a 2024 debate with Kaine in response to a question about military recruiting. “What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat ’em, and ask for seconds. Those are young men and women that are going to win wars.”
These are not the only comments from Cao that have drawn attention. His past views on witchcraft have also raised concerns.
Cao, who was narrowly confirmed as undersecretary of the Navy before assuming the acting role, has a long military résumé. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he served as a special operations officer with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. His transition into politics, however, has been marked by a blend of conventional conservative messaging and more controversial cultural claims.
During his 2024 Senate campaign in Virginia, where he ultimately lost to Tim Kaine, Cao made repeated public statements warning about what he described as the spread of “witchcraft” in the United States. As The Wild Hunt reported, in a 2023 interview with Sean Feucht, a pastor and musician associated with far-right Christian activism, Cao framed the issue in explicitly religious and political terms.
“There’s a place in Monterey, California called ‘Lover’s Point,’” Cao said. “The original name was ‘Lovers of Christ Point,’ but now it’s become—they took out the Christ—it’s ‘Lover’s Point,’ and it’s really—Monterey’s a very dark place now, a lot of witchcraft, and the Wiccan community has really taken over there.”
He continued by linking these claims to his political ambitions: “We can’t let that happen in Virginia… We need to mobilize Christians across the nation.”
Hung Cao, Under Secretary of the Navy [public domain
The remarks appear not simply rhetorical flourishes but part of a longer pattern of religious framing that positions minority spiritual traditions as threats. Cao’s comments echo language historically associated with moral panic narratives, including those seen during the Satanic Panic of the late 20th century. His framing of Wicca as something that can “take over” a region reflects a misunderstanding of the religious tradition, including its lack of centralized authority and proselytizing structures.
The watchdog group Right Wing Watch flagged the interview with a content warning, noting that such rhetoric can include “dehumanizing language” and contribute to broader patterns of discrimination. While Cao did not explicitly call for policy targeting Pagans or Witches, his statements situate Witchcraft within a narrative of cultural decline that requires political and possibly administrative mobilization to counter.
Cao’s remarks also intersect with ongoing conversations about religious pluralism in the United States, particularly within institutions like the military.
Seal of US Navy
Those questions come as the Department of Defense is also reshaping how it approaches religious diversity within the ranks.
On March 23, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced reforms to the U.S. military Chaplain Corps aimed at strengthening religious support services while reinforcing core mission readiness. The changes focus on expanding chaplains’ ability to provide spiritual care across diverse belief systems, improving recruitment and retention, and clarifying expectations around religious expression within the ranks. Hegseth emphasized that chaplains play a critical role in supporting service members’ morale, resilience, and ethical grounding, particularly in high-stress and combat environments.
Hegseth said the military’s previous system of religious affiliation codes had expanded to more than 200 categories, many of which were rarely used. “The previous system had ballooned to well over 200 faith codes… It was impractical and unusable, and many codes were never used at all,” he said, noting that about 82% of religious service members rely on just six codes.
Under the revised policy, the number of codes will be reduced to 31. “This brings the codes in line with its original purpose, giving chaplains clear, usable information so they can minister to service members in a way that aligns with that service member’s faith background and religious practice,” Hegseth said.
The revised list of 31 codes has not yet been released.
The reforms also address concerns about balancing religious freedom with military cohesion, underscoring that chaplains must serve all personnel regardless of faith background while remaining true to their own traditions. The initiative includes updated training standards and guidance intended to ensure both inclusivity and operational effectiveness. Overall, the reforms reflect ongoing efforts to adapt military religious services to an increasingly pluralistic force while maintaining institutional discipline and unity.
Against this backdrop, Cao’s past statements raise questions about how personal beliefs might inform leadership perspectives, especially in a role that oversees a diverse and religiously plural force.
As Cao assumes his new role, it remains unclear whether his past rhetoric will translate into policy or leadership priorities. Still, such statements matter. Framing Witchcraft as a societal threat reinforces long-standing stigmas, even absent formal action, and underscores the continued need for vigilance around religious pluralism.
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