Carlos Del Toro (born 1961) is a

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( or ) are Americans who immigrated from or are descended from immigrants from Cuba. As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the fourth largest Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States aft ...

entrepreneur and retired

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

officer who served as the 78th

United States secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On Mar ...

from 2021 to 2025. He is the second Hispanic American to serve as the Secretary of the Navy, after Edward Hidalgo.

Early life and education

Del Toro was born in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and immigrated to the United States with his parents as a child. He was raised in

Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

. Del Toro earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 1983. Del Toro later earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

national security National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of ...

studies from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

and also a Master of Professional Studies degree in legislative affairs from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Career

Del Toro was a White House Fellow in 1998–1999. Del Toro served in the

as a Surface Warfare Officer for 22 years, retiring with the rank of

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

. During his service, Del Toro served in the

Office of the Secretary of Defense The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the United States Department of Defense. It is the principal civilian staff element of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and it assists the Secretary in carrying out au ...

and special assistant to the director and deputy director of the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

. He was also the commanding officer of the USS ''Bulkeley''. After retiring from the Navy, Del Toro founded SBG Technology Solutions, Inc., a program management and engineering firm that primarily works with government clients. In 2007 Del Toro was the Democratic candidate to represent the 88th District in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

. He lost to Republican incumbent, Mark Cole. He served on the

University of Mary Washington University of Mary Washington (UMW) is a public liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Established in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Fredericksburg, the institution later became known as Fredericksbu ...

Board of Visitors from 2014 to 2018. From 2019 until 2021, Del Toro sat on the board of directors of the Stimson Center, a Washington-based security think tank.

Secretary of the Navy

Del Toro's nomination as

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

was announced by President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

on June 11, 2021 and received by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

on June 17. Del Toro's nomination received praise from Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, who described the nominee as an "excellent selection." During a July 13 committee confirmation hearing before the

Senate Armed Services Committee The Committee on Armed Services, sometimes abbreviated SASC for Senate Armed Services Committee, is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defen ...

, Del Toro received "mostly friendly" questions from senators, although some Republicans expressed concerns about the size and perceived inadequacy of President Biden's FY2022 defense budget and America's commitment and ability to defend Taiwan amidst rising US–China tensions and a recent American failure to defend the island nation in a

military simulation Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Military simulations are seen as a useful way to develop Military tactics, t ...

. In regard to the budget, Del Toro supported the Navy's plan to field 355 ships by 2030, but noted that the service would require more funds. In regard to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, Del Toro affirmed his commitment to the island's protection and stated that he would be "exclusively focused on the China threat" and seek to protect American security interests in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

. Del Toro also expressed an intention to focus on

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and modernization efforts. On July 27, the

approved Del Toro's nomination, advancing him to the full

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. On August 7, 2021, his nomination was confirmed by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...

. He assumed office on August 9, 2021, and was ceremonially sworn in on August 24, 2021.

Controversies

In April 2023, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation shared a video of a town hall meeting where Del Toro made comments which some observers perceived as homophobic. When asked about combating homophobia in the navy, Del Toro said, "The battles that you face... they're defined by your choice to be homosexual." Del Toro's comments were criticized as promoting homosexuality as a "choice", and also being oblivious to homophobia within the military. Del Toro later said that he had misspoken, was "an unequivocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community," and was talking about "an individual's decision to share their sexual orientation." On September 5, 2024 it was reported that Secretary Del Toro violated the Hatch Act for statements voicing support for President Joe Biden during a work trip to the United Kingdom in January, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

Personal life

Del Toro is married to Betty Del Toro, with whom he has four children, along with three grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Del Toro, Carlos 1961 births Living people Biden administration personnel Candidates in the 2007 United States elections Cuban emigrants to the United States George Washington University alumni Hispanic and Latino American military personnel Military personnel from Manhattan Naval War College alumni Military personnel from Havana Businesspeople from Havana People from Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers United States secretaries of the navy White House Fellows