Adm. Daryl Caudle has been tapped to be Chief of Naval Operations. While testifying before Congress Thursday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the current head of Fleet Forces in Norfolk has been nominated by the White House.
Caudle has commanded Fleet Forces since 2021. He spent most of his career in the submariner community. He was commander of Submarine Forces and Submarine Forces Atlantic. His other assignments include deputy chief for security cooperation, Office of the Defense Representative, Pakistan, and director of operations U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa.
If confirmed by the Senate, he will replace Adm. Lisa Franchetti who was abruptly dismissed by the Trump administration in February, along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown.
Among Caudle’s duties at Fleet Forces, Caudle is in charge of homeland defense for the Navy. He championed sending destroyers from Norfolk and San Diego to the southern border, where they have been involved in drug interdiction —a role typically handled by the Coast Guard. In March, Caudle appeared in a video praising the work of USS Gravely, which was the first destroyer sent to the border.
Should he become the next CNO, Caudle will oversee the Navy’s goal of building more ships. In April, he met with Navy Secretary John Phelan and toured Newport News Shipbuilding and Norfolk Naval shipyard. The two had dinner at his residence at Naval Station Norfolk.
Caudle is originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina State University in 1985 with a degree in chemical engineering. He attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island.
According to his Navy bio, Caudle has a masters degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School and a master in engineering management from Old Dominion University. He also holds a doctor of management in organizational leadership with a specialization in information systems and technology from the University of Phoenix.
