Carlos Del Toro Confirmed Navy Secretary

Carlos Del Toro has received Senate confirmation to serve as the 78th secretary of the Navy.

His appointment comes months after Christine Wormuth was confirmed unanimously by the Senate to be the first female secretary of the Army. Frank Kendall was also recently confirmed as Air Force secretary via voice vote after a stalled nomination process.

Del Toro returns to the Navy after retiring as commander in the early 2000s and founding Virginia-based small business SBG Technology Solutions, Military Times reported.

He was commissioned into the service in 1983 through the U.S. Naval Academy. Some of his key assignments include serving as the first commanding officer of the guided missile destroyer Bulkeley and program manager of what was then known as the Space and Naval Warfare Command.

At one point in his career, Del Toro also worked under the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he assisted in making decisions related to program development and budgets.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Del Toro made it clear that he supports plans to build a 355-ship fleet. However, he said maintaining that number of vessels will require “additional resources” from Congress in the future.

He also anticipates that Chinese adversaries and climate change will pose big challenges to the force in the coming years.

“Already, installation resilience is an issue, with vital installations facing threats from rising sea levels. Building energy and environmental resilience into our installations will make them more combat effective,” Del Toro said.