Adm. Daryl Caudle testifies July 24, 2025, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to be chief of naval operations. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The nominee for the Navy’s top officer post on Thursday defended the service’s moves in recent years to loosen requirements for enlistment, saying they increased access to the Navy while maintaining standards.
Adm. Daryl Caudle told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the policy changes, which have included accepting lower test scores, have not affected the quality of sailors but instead provided more pathways for entering the Navy.
Caudle said standards were “at the heart” of his philosophy as a career submarine officer and he would continue to uphold them if confirmed as chief of naval operations.
He would take over the job on a permanent basis from former Adm. Lisa Franchetti, who was the first woman to serve as the highest-ranking Navy officer before President Donald Trump fired her in February.
Adm. James Kilby, the vice chief of naval operations, has filled in as the service’s top officer for the last five months.
At Caudle’s confirmation hearing Thursday, he spoke of the need to improve chronic delays in shipbuilding, invest in modern technology and build a hybrid fleet that can compete with Chinese maritime dominance.
He also responded to worries raised by Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., that the Navy will become reliant on permanently lowered standards to meet its recruiting goals.
“Just be aware that there is that concern,” Wicker said.
The Navy reversed a recruiting slump in 2024 and met its 2025 recruiting goals early, but it also in recent years began accepting lower Armed Forces Qualification Test scores and bringing in recruits who did not graduate from high school or get a GED diploma.
The changes have also coincided with the introduction of the Future Sailor Preparatory Course, a program that helps recruits who are too out of shape or have low test scores improve their qualifications.
Caudle praised the program, saying it was key to “in no way” lower standards.
“At the end of the day, all sailors — they graduate from boot camp, meet the rigorous standards of that course to the letter,” he said.
To boost recruiting further, Caudle suggested expanding the reach of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program beyond high school.
“I would say we maybe haven’t gone deep enough and we ought to also be reaching into the middle schools to make sure that we’re making people aware of the Navy and service to our nation,” he said.
Caudle was commissioned into the Navy in 1985 after graduating from North Carolina State University and attending Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I.
In his 40-year career, Caudle has commanded nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and all Atlantic-based submarine forces and served as a vice director on the Joint Staff.
He has led U.S. Fleet Forces Command, which is responsible for training and deploying naval forces, since 2021.
Senators from both parties said Caudle was well-suited to guide the Navy as it contends with Houthi militant attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, tensions between Israel and Iran, and Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
“You’ve got the right background,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Caudle. “You’re going to do an outstanding job.”
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the committee, mentioned the “unusual conditions” of Franchetti’s ouster and Caudle’s nomination but said he was glad to consider Caudle for the job.
“You bring a wealth of experience to this role,” he said.
