The U.S. Navy’s new top officer says he would follow orders to deploy naval assets anywhere, including U.S. cities — as long as the order was “lawful.”

“When we get a demand signal for our troops to be deployed anywhere under a lawful order, it is my goal to provide those troops for the missions that the Secretary of War wants to actually utilize them for,” said Chief Naval Officer Admiral Daryl Caudle.

The admiral sat down for an interview with The Inquirer Friday evening, one day after Navy ships sailed up the Delaware River, kicking off a week of events to celebrate the military branch’s 250th anniversary in its birthplace.

The Trump appointee discussed the Navy’s past and future at a politically volatile moment both at home and at sea — with National Guard soldiers deployed to several U.S. cities, and flaring tensions in the Caribbean, after the U.S. military destroyed four boats it claimed were smuggling drugs.

Caudle has served in the Navy for 40 years. He emphasized the Navy’s apolitical nature and essential role in U.S. defense, and encouraged people to enjoy the tours of Navy ships and other events scheduled over the next few days.

Philadelphia’s significance

The U.S. Navy’s predecessor, the Continental Navy, was formed in Philadelphia during an October 1775 meeting of the Second Continental Congress, made up of delegates from the 13 original colonies that would become the U.S.

“That was a big undertaking,” Caudle said. He explained that the fledgling U.S. government commissioned six frigates to cut off British supply lines into Boston. Two months later, the Congress also founded the U.S. Marines in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, along with Camden and the Willow Grove area, have held numerous Navy operations over the years, Caudle said. Philadelphia is also where many of the Navy’s propellers are made, and Caudle said he’s reviewing the shipyard for opportunities to bring more shipbuilding jobs to the region.

Under President Trump’s orders, shipbuilding is a top priority, Caudle said.

“There’s a campaign to get people to want to actually do those type of vocational jobs — pipe fitting, welding, electricians,” Caudle said. “There’s a need to develop that workforce and treat them right.”

Stopping drug cartels

Since August there’s been a massive buildup of U.S. Navy resources in the Caribbean. The U.S. military has struck four boats, killing 21 people.

The Trump administration says it was stopping drugs from entering the U.S. But the United Nations has condemned the strikes as an “extrajudicial execution.” The attacks have flared tensions with Venezuela ally Russia, and drawn criticism from legal experts; one recent report found that a boat was turning around to retreat before it was destroyed, killing 11 people.

The Navy’s top priority right now is “defense of the homeland,” Caudle said. That includes stanching the flow of drugs into the country, he said.

The Navy is working with Customs and Border Patrol and “conducting patrols in the Gulf of America and the Eastern Pacific in and around San Diego and the Mexican border,” and is engaged in efforts to stop drug trafficking, Caudle said.

”So the maritime paths of that from those areas in South America into the United States is something that I think the President takes very seriously, and we’re putting naval combat power in to support those missions,” he said.

A politically charged moment

Caudle emphasized that the Navy is an apolitical organization.

But critics argue the line has become blurred under the second Trump administration. The U.S. Marines, which are part of the Navy, were deployed to Los Angeles in June. A federal judge in September ruled that this violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of military for domestic law enforcement.

Caudle attended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s September speech to generals at Quantico, Va., which drew criticism for politically partisan comments Trump made there.

And, at an event in Norfolk, Va., last Sunday that was part of the Navy’s 250th anniversary celebration, Trump told a large crowd of military personnel that the U.S. has to “take care of this little gnat that’s on our shoulder called the Democrats,” drawing bipartisan criticism.

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On Friday, Caudle, who started in the Navy when Ronald Reagan was president, pushed back against the idea that the military has become politically partisan.

He said that the Navy expects to bring in 45,000 new recruits this year, about 10,000 more than in previous years. To him, that’s a sign that politics isn’t affecting the public’s perception of the Navy.

“The military’s goal is to stay apolitical to that, and to execute legal orders,” Caudle said, “and my job is to carry the policy of the president of the United States down and execute that.”

Homecoming 250 brings the Navy to the public

The Homecoming 250 events give the public a rare chance to see Navy assets up close, with the USS Arlington, USS Lassen, USS Cooperstown, and USS Billings docked around Philadelphia and Camden. Tours of the ships are open to the public until Wednesday afternoon.

With sailors in uniform touring Philadelphia throughout the week, Caudle encouraged people to strike up a conversation.

“You’ll see they come from all walks of life, from every state of the Union, they’re of all genders and ethnicities, and when you meet them, you are going to find that the professionalism is world class,” he said.

A variety of threats

Caudle said the Navy has clear orders from the Trump administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — to watch America’s top competitor, China, and to deter any hostile activity. China is outpacing the U.S. in the construction of naval assets, he said.

Russia is another top concern, Caudle said, with its large nuclear weapons arsenal.

The Navy is also increasingly focused on working with other agencies to monitor threats from space and online, he added. He said military and commercial infrastructure is “under attack every single day from malicious actors.”