We here at Legal Insurrection have been keeping track of who runs the U.S. Navy, primarily because the Navy is critical to any future conflict the U.S. gets involved in:https://twitter.com/EliAfriatISR/status/1934343319347413166https://twitter.com/CherylWroteIt/status/1935374287436714013Unfortunately (another reason we covered the Navy so extensively), the last two people to run the Navy generated their fair share of controversy.First, you had Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Michael Gilday, who thought it was a good idea to place Ibram X. Kendi’s racist screed “How to be an Anti-Racist” on the Navy’s recommended reading list: Ideological Capture: When Top Military Leaders Adopt Critical Race Theory Verbiage.After getting torched by the blowback Gilday thought twice and quietly dropped the racist polemic, US Navy Chief Removes Woke and CRT Books From Professional Reading Program List, but the damage was done:
Then you had the most recent CNO, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, who was explicitly chosen by then-President Biden because she was to be the first female head of any military service and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Biden Overrides Defense Secretary Recommendation for Navy Chief of Operations, Appoints Woman To Achieve “A First”That did not work so well, USS Boxer, Amphibious Assault Ship Carrying Hundreds of Marines, Forced to Return to Port for Repairs Two Weeks After Deploying, Navy Likely to Remove 17 Support Ships, Called the “Logistics Backbone” of the Fleet, from Active Service, and on February 21, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fired Franchetti: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Chief of Naval Operations, Among Others, FiredWhen that happened, one X commentator posted some unflattering things about Franchetti’s tenure as CNO:https://twitter.com/johnkonrad/status/1893288870004838476https://twitter.com/johnkonrad/status/1891088672704860474In any event, President Trump has now nominated a new leader for the U.S. Navy, and it’s a submariner! From the Naval Institute:
President Donald Trump tapped Adm. Daryl Caudle to serve as the next chief of naval operations, nearly four months after the removal of Adm. Lisa Franchetti.The Senate Armed Services Committee received the nomination Tuesday, according to a Congressional notification. Caudle, who is currently the head of U.S. Fleet Forces in Norfolk, Va., will appear before the upper chamber’s committee as part of his nomination process.Caudle was one of several contenders for the job over the last few months after the Trump administration dismissed Franchetti at the end of February. Since then, Adm. James Kilby, the vice chief of naval operations, has also been serving as the acting chief of naval operations…Caudle, a career submariner, has led Fleet Forces since December 2021. Before that job, he led Naval Submarine Forces and Naval Submarine Force Atlantic.During his career he served on numerous attack submarines and one nuclear ballistic missile submarine, according to his service biography. He served as the commanding officer of USS Jefferson City (SSN-759), USS Helena (SSN-725) and USS Topeka (SSN-754) as well as the commander of Submarine Squadron 3.He graduated from North Carolina State University in 1985 and is originally from Winston-Salem, N.C., according to his bio.During his time leading Fleet Forces, Caudle was critical of industry for not meeting program schedules, particularly for munitions. At the 2023 Surface Navy Association conference, Caudle dismissed industry for citing the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain problems as reasons for delays.
Importantly, Commander Salamander, former U.S. naval surface warfare officer and Navy commentator extraordinaire, approves. He also explains how and why Caudle was able to command three attack submarines, which is (obviously) very unusual.
From Salamander’s excellent Substack: We Have a CNO: Salamander approved:
At first glance, this looks solid…Yes, he’s a submariner, but I won’t hold that against him. (I kid, I’m a kidder).Coming from Fleet Forces, he’s got a handle of the issues.He has a lot of sea duty and command at sea experience in the no-nonsense part of our Navy:
Caudle served at various posts during his sea tour assignments such as division officer, USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-656), engineer of USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN-634) and USS Sand Lance (SSN-660) as well as serving as executive officer of USS Montpelier (SSN-765). His first command assignment was as commanding officer of USS Jefferson City (SSN-759). While appointed to the Submarine Squadron 11 as deputy commander, he served as commanding officer of USS Topeka (SSN-754) and USS Helena (SSN-725). He also commanded Submarine Squadron 3 as Commodore.
He is not a card-carrying member of the Potomac Flotilla. More fleet experience at the highest levels:
Submarine Forces; commander, Submarine Force Atlantic; commander, Task Force (CTF) 114, CTF 88, and CTF 46; and commander, Allied Submarine Command.
As a Flag Officer [i.e. Admiral]:
…deputy chief for security cooperation, Office of the Defense Representative, Pakistan; deputy commander, Joint Functional Component Command-Global Strike; deputy commander, U.S. 6th Fleet; director of operations U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa; commander, Submarine Group Eight; commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; and vice director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy on the Joint Staff (J-5) in Washington, D.C.
The only “DC” job is exactly the job you’d want. Again, operational.
In a meta view as well, he graduated from a State university, North Carolina State University, and then went to OCS [Officer Candidate School — not the U.S. Naval Academy].
That formative experience matters, at least to me.
So, this is a time of change and challenge—I wish him and our Navy the absolute best success.
Also, as a warning to those in OPNAV [the Navy part of the Pentagon], as a chemical engineering grad who is a nuclear-trained submariner: there will be math.
To be completely fair, not everyone is totally impressed with Admiral Caudle.
From Real Clear Defense in April of this year: The Next CNO:
As for Caudle, until his arrival at Fleet Forces Command – the four-star command charged with organizing, training, equipping, and maintaining Navy forces to ensure they are ready for deployment and combat – it is not too much of a stretch to say that his record suggests an officer who has never interacted with anyone other than a submariner since his commissioning. It is not accidental that his professional biography spends its first two paragraphs fully exploring his education, which is admittedly impressive. He is a nuke’s nuke. A lead engineer, not a lead Sailor…Caudle never commanded a Fleet, and he never held a four-star operational command.
But John Konrad, the aforementioned X commentator, has this to say:
Good pick but not without controversy. Many in my Navy circles hoped the CNO search would dig deeper maybe a rising 1- or 2-star [admiral].Caudle is 61, a 4-star who got his first star under Obama’s far-left SECNAV (Secretary of the Navy) Ray Mabus.But credit where due, he’s one of the few admirals who embraced public engagement to push Trump 2.0 priorities. He’s not media-shy, he’s been on Wall Street selling capital markets on capitalizing shipbuilding, appeared in several recruiting spots, and speaks directly to sailors in videos that actually go viral.99% of flag officers filter everything via PAOs [public affairs officers] and refuse to step up to the mic and explain why the Navy needs funding and support. It’s not surprising that the last three absolutely critical picks – Rear Adm. Marc Miguez (head of legislative affairs), Admiral Cooper (head of @CENTCOM) and Admiral Caudle (CNO) – have been exceptions to that rule.IMHO he needs 2–3 weeks of hard media training to sharpen the message and drive public + Hill support. That matters. But this sends pick sends a clear message to Navy leadership: stand up for your service and sailors or get passed over.He doesn’t look lethal—short, soft jaw, not the Mattis/Milley high-and-tight vibe Trump usually loves… but maybe that’s a good thing. Those guys didn’t deliver on Trump’s agenda.Let’s give him some time to sharpen his message and get the rest of the admirals aboard with leaning into public, congressional and direct sailor engagement.
All I can say is that I can guarantee you that Admiral Caudle has one thing all submariners have — standards. He’s not going to put up with warships that can’t deploy, like the aforementioned USS Boxer, or rusty ships, or shipbuilding that’s behind schedule, or putting your hands on your pockets in uniform.
Not to say he’s perfect, but he strikes me as a good choice. Godspeed Admiral Caudle.
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