“The U.S. Navy always stands for America. As Commander-in-Chief, I will always stand up for you,” President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social early Wednesday morning, days after the celebration of the Navy’s 250th anniversary at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

Now, with the Navy’s semiquincentennial past, it is looking to the future, which is most certainly bright.

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With every future comes a new day, and ushering in this new day is Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, who recently welcomed Hung Cao, the newly sworn-in undersecretary of the Navy, and, with him, “a wide-ranging cross-departmental portfolio” in anticipation of supercharging the Navy’s reconstruction of the “warrior ethos and quality of service.” This came just days after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth‘s announcement of refreshing new changes to all military forces during a speech to senior military officers in Quantico, Virginia. (It was a speech so good that even a guest op-ed essay in the New York Times applauded it.)

“The War Department, first and foremost … must restore a ruthless, dispassionate, and commonsense application of standards,” Hegseth said during his speech. “Standards must be uniform, gender neutral, and high. If not, they’re not standards. They’re just suggestions, suggestions that get our sons and daughters killed.”

Phelan heard Hegseth’s message loud and clear, announcing that Cao will help lead this transformative process and facilitate the exciting conversion.

“That is why I am putting my Under Secretary on the field to tackle the issues that affect the daily lives of Sailors and Marines,” Phelan said. “From his years in uniform and his record of leadership, he will cut through bureaucracy, drive real solutions, and keep our people first.”

“Readiness starts at home and shows up on target,” he added. “The Under Secretary’s new remit puts one quarterback and one playbook on the field to execute my game plan for upgrading how we recruit, train, equip, and take care of our people, so the Fleet stays the world’s premier, most lethal maritime force.”

Phelan emphasized the importance of these changes and how they will lead to an improved and more efficient Navy. He said the new protocols will be integral to these enhancements, which will lead to a “sharpened performance” from everyone in the department.

“This is about speed, standards, and service,” Phelan said. “When Sailors and Marines know their families are supported, housing is right, chow is quality, and systems work the first time, morale rises, performance sharpens, and the force delivers.”

Cao will spearhead efforts in 11 areas: quality of service, digital and business systems, audit general supervision, recruiting, reserve reform, wellness and suicide prevention, personnel policy, families and education opportunities, fitness standards, utilizing Guam as a “power-projection platform” in the Pacific, and the “warrior ethos.”

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These areas will include, among other things, housing, healthcare, and educational upgrades at Navy and Marine bases, more efficient utilization of department IT and business systems, more transparent and quicker audits, an increase in Navy and Marine recruiting standards, maximizing sailors and Marines in reserve units, and enhanced mental healthcare and suicide prevention initiatives.

Gone are the days of undisciplined, left-wing, agenda-driven hierarchies, sloppy appearances and standards, and inefficient performances. Under Phelan and Cao, the Navy will be restored to its former glory and become a force to be reckoned with, one that geopolitical adversaries will fear and respect.