Good afternoon. Thank you for that kind introduction. It is an honor to be here at Universidad Veracruzana, one of the finest institutions in a nation the Biden Administration is proud to call a friend.

Mexico is one of America’s most important partners. Together, we have made North America more secure. Together, we have made North America more prosperous.

Together, we have made North America free.

The word “free” means a lot to me. As you may know, my family and I had to flee Cuba when I was a child.

My freedom was not guaranteed. It was only through my parents’ hard work and God’s grace that I grew up in a free nation.

As my freedom was not guaranteed then, North America’s freedom is not guaranteed now. As my parents worked for my freedom, our two nations must continue to work hand-in-hand to ensure ours.

Keeping our freedom is why it is so critical that our relationship, and our cooperation, grow ever closer. As President Biden said, the U.S. and Mexico are “friends and allies, and our relationship is based on mutual respect.”

That respect is well-earned. You are the United States’ largest trading partner, with over six hundred billion dollars in goods and services traversing our border.

Our economies, and our people, rely upon each other.

That same spirit imbues our security cooperation, particularly between our navies. I see your Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Jose Rafael OJEDA Duran, as a trusted partner. He is tireless in his efforts to make the Mexican Navy a force for the good of Mexico and a strong partner the United States can work with on the many challenges that face our navies and nations. He and his team have fostered a culture of relentless innovation and improvement. That culture, coupled with wise investments and prioritization, have dramatically improved the Mexican Navy’s capabilities, technology, and readiness; something I have had the privilege of seeing first hand while here in Veracruz.

I am moved by the culture your Navy has instilled throughout its ranks. It is a culture where talent matters more than background; where spirit and commitment to service matter more than where you came from.

It is only this sort of open culture than can focus on relentless improvement, as it is the only type of culture that does not feel compelled to do things as they have always been done.

It is working for the Mexican Navy. I am not surprised, as it works for the United States Navy, as well. Since my first day in office – and for years beforehand – our Navy-Marine Corps team has preached that everyone must feel welcome to serve, regardless of who they are or where they have come from.

Our culture has delivered as promised. The U.S. Navy-Marine Corps team, as part of our armed services’ Joint Operating Concept and alongside our allies, is the most dominant deterrent force in the world.

We are grateful that the Mexican Navy’s relentless commitment to strengthening its culture and its capabilities have made it an indispensable pillar of our shared regional deterrent capability.

As a former Naval Officer myself, the phrase “deterrent capability” is a tangible one. Let me tell you what I mean.  I just came here from a tour of your naval facilities here in Veracruz. Your operational tools, and the Sailors who operate them, are excellent.

For instance, in an era when Unmanned Air Vehicles will take on an ever-larger share of both surveillance and offensive warfare responsibilities, I am excited to see the Mexican navy’s burgeoning expertise with and extensive research and development of UAVs.

It is clear the Mexican navy understands that future fights will be won based on which force communicates best and which force has the best intelligence. That is why I was also pleased to see remarkable improvements in the Mexican navy’s radar systems and radio communications platforms.

When facing an operational challenge, the Mexican navy will know what it is up against and will be able to marshal its forces. Such capabilities are essential.

The United States is tremendously supportive of the Mexican navy’s enhanced capabilities. U.S.-Mexico regional defense cooperation is essential to North America’s safety and security.

To that end, the United States Navy wants to grow together with the Mexican navy as true partners. However, we understand that partnerships derived from shared short-term interests only go so far.

Partnerships forged in shared values, and operating off similar platforms, on the other hand, can overcome any challenge.

To that end, I would like to stress the importance of continued joint exercises and operational compatibility.

Our joint exercises with Mexico and other regional partners are a pillar of our joint deterrent capability. With each such successful exercise, my pride in our partnership grows.

Take UNITAS 2021. This massive exercise brought together twenty nations, thirty-two ships, four submarines, twenty-six aircraft, and more than fifty-seven hundred personnel.

This exercise was a massive undertaking. It entailed a multi-threat, multi-day, at-sea scenario. Together, our forces had to demonstrate surface tactical maneuvers, a sinking exercise, live-fire exercises, replenishment-at-sea, search and rescue exercises, submarine warfare exercises, and air defense exercises.

In case that didn’t keep everyone busy enough, we included maritime interdiction exercises for good measure.

Even the most hardened Sailor or Marine would find this exercise a challenge. Nevertheless, the team performed magnificently. Partners representing many nations demonstrated agility, advanced problem-solving skills, and a spirit of cooperation that sent a clear message to anyone who was watching.

We are one team.

UNITAS 22, coming up this September, will send that same message with even greater clarity. When we meet in Brazil, on the two hundredth anniversary of that nation’s Navy, nineteen nations will act as one force.

Together, we will engage in maritime, amphibious, air, ground, and jungle operations. Together, we will reinforce the leadership role of women in security operations. Together, twenty one warships, one submarine, twenty-two aircraft, and Navy Combat Divers, Special Boat Teams, and Special Operations Forces will prove just how well the can operate as a single force.

I, for one, am eager to see how ably we perform.

UNITAS, of course, is not the Hemisphere’s only joint exercise. Mexico and Belize jointly hosted TRADEWINDS just this past May, with over 1900 personnel from 22 nations coming together to address challenges from land, sea, air, and cyberspace.

Similarly, we are thrilled that Mexico has sent the ship BENITO JUAREZ, a Long-Range Ocean Patrol Vessel, to RIMPAC, the world’s largest naval exercise.

We are also happy that Mexico’s armed forces have sent a Newport-Class Tank Landing Ship, an infantry company, and two Special Forces platoons. They will be leading important training initiatives.

That, too, sends a message. Mexico is critical to our joint efforts to keep the Pacific Ocean free and secure.

There is room, however, for increased operational compatibility. It is an essential component to creating a stronger deterrent force. Operational compatibility will empower the United States and Mexico to respond together to large scale threats.

Operational compatibility will also better empower us to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Climate change has, unfortunately, guaranteed that hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme weather events will be commonplace. We need to be able to respond together throughout the Caribbean Sea.

Operational compatibility, then, is essential. Together, we can do more to integrate our forces.

BENITO JUAREZ is one of the most compelling examples of where greater cooperation is possible. Long Range Ocean Patrol vessels are essential at sea. The ship is a strong vessel with an excellent crew.

That is why we hope, over the coming years, to include her in United States Navy fleet training. We would also like to include her in a future Carrier Strike Group cooperative deployment.

We believe integration of BENITO JUAREZ into a Carrier Strike Group cooperative deployment is just one of many opportunities for greater integration.

Long-term, we believe we can conduct the full spectrum of military activities together in partnership to address mutual defense and security threats.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has made U.S. priorities clear. We will always look for ways to work together with Mexico in areas of mutual defense and security interests while respecting each other’s sovereignty.

Greater operational compatibility can only serve that mission.

Let me close, then, by telling you why I am speaking here today. Universidad Veracruzana is, in many ways, the perfect symbol of the U.S.-Mexico relationship.

It’s more than just your partnership with Georgia Southern University or the American students you attract for study abroad opportunities, though such cultural exchanges are essential.

Rather, it is the fact that Universidad Veracruzana, like our nations’ relationship, is both practical and aspirational.

Together, our nations provide security in the region.

Together, our nations provide the space for trade and cooperation. That is the practical.

Yet, we reach for more.

We aim to help each other through the enormous, complex issues facing the global community, from the climate crisis to pandemics that, as we have seen, can shudder the world to a halt.

We aim to preserve peace and promote prosperity throughout North, Central, and South America.

We aim to forge ever-closer bonds with a partner we trust.

That is the aspirational.

I think Universidad Veracruzana’s motto hits exactly the right tone. “Art. Science. Light.”

We rely on art, science, and light every day. Yet art and science always push us to innovate, to be better, to embrace what is next. Light shows us the way forward.

Mexico and the United States will show each other the way forward, as only two nations as interconnected as we are, can.

Thank you all for your time and attention today. We need you as our partners, and our friends. May God bless you. Thank you.