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SECNAV VECTOR 8

UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
R 242311Z JAN 20 MID110000335554U
FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
TO ALNAV
INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
CNO WASHINGTON DC
CMC WASHINGTON DC
BT
UNCLAS

ALNAV 012/20

MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/JAN//

SUBJ/SECNAV VECTOR 8//

RMKS/1.  I recently returned from a trip to the Pacific.  One of my stops was 
Singapore, where I witnessed firsthand the power of strategic maritime 
defense partnerships.  As many of you know, Singapore is an economic and 
political miracle that sits in the middle of one of the most critically 
strategic locations in the world.  Forty percent of global maritime trade 
passes through or around Singapore, and that trade is vital to our economy 
and many others.  Keeping these sea lanes safe and open, and ensuring all 
those who operate in them adhere to international norms and rules, is 
critical to regional and global peace and stability.  Our defense partnership 
with Singapore is the cornerstone of this effort and our Navy and Marine 
Corps team members are on the front lines, working closely with our 
Singaporean partners with the common goal of sharing responsibility for 
security in the region.
This concept of shared responsibility for security with other nations is not 
new.  Our Sailors and Marines have fought, bled, and made the ultimate 
sacrifice side-by-side with allies since we first partnered with the French 
Navy in our War for Independence.  In virtually every conflict over the past 
century, our success has been achieved alongside allies and international 
partners who offered access to key locations throughout the world, 
contributed crucial capabilities, and if necessary, sacrificed blood and 
treasure for a common cause.  Most importantly, as successful as they have 
been in war, these partnerships have been even more successful in keeping the 
peace.

2.  Perhaps the most predictable thing we can say about the future is that it 
will be unpredictable.  Strong global relationships and defense partnerships 
help mitigate the risks of this unpredictability.  However, we must also 
recognize that different partners will have varying levels of political will, 
capability, capacity, resources, and unique maritime requirements which they 
can contribute.  Our job is to maximize those and to find the best points of 
collaboration for each partner.
Just as we have prioritized the education of our own forces as a key element 
of maritime power in an unpredictable era, a top priority of the 2018 
National Defense Strategy is to build and maintain a robust constellation of 
partners and allies to work with us to solve common security challenges which 
are beyond our ability to predict, or defeat alone.

3.  For the Navy and Marine Corps team, we are fulfilling this objective in 
the following ways:
International Professional Military Education:  Opportunities for military 
personnel and civilians to study alongside our people at the Naval War 
College, Marine Corps University, and the Naval Postgraduate School, as well 
the United States Naval Academy help build personal relationships and 
cultural understanding critical to our network of maritime partners around 
the world.  Learning and training together creates greater mutual 
understanding across generations of military personnel, and in the end, 
fosters invaluable trust.
Cooperative International Agreements:  Programs to jointly produce, procure, 
and /or sustain naval armaments.  These agreements reduce U.S. and partner 
costs, improve interoperability, and forge closer links between U.S and 
partner nation operating forces and acquisition and logistics communities.
Science and Technology/Data Exchange Agreements:  Programs that facilitate 
research, development, and information exchanges with allied or friendly 
nations.  These agreements marshal the technological capabilities of the U.S.
and our allies and partners to accelerate research, development, and the 
fielding of equipment for our common defense.
Naval Foreign Military Sales:  International purchases of U.S. equipment, 
training, and services promote interoperability and contribute to the 
building of personal relationships and trust between our Sailors and Marines 
and those of our allies and partners.
Collaborative Engagements:  As the world gets smaller and our naval presence 
and operations expand, more Marines and Sailors will have the opportunity to 
engage with international partners.  For example, ships will conduct more 
exercises with foreign naval vessels and execute international port calls, 
deployed Marine Corps platoons will conduct more joint training, and naval 
aviators will train and fly alongside more foreign partners.

4.  In every opportunity listed above, the most valuable experiences our 
partners take away will be from their interaction with each of you.  More 
broadly, throughout your career of service, you and your families will have 
many opportunities to serve as front-line diplomats of our naval service and 
our country.  How seriously you take your role as a representative of the 
United States will send a signal that we are a partner worth keeping, and a 
partnership worth defending together.  No amount of shared equipment and 
training can surpass your personal ability to build our international naval 
presence, one relationship at a time.

5.  Last week, I had the honor of naming our next planned nuclear aircraft 
carrier the USS DORIS MILLER in honor of an enlisted African-American Sailor 
a hero of World War II.
Petty Officer Millers bravery under fire during the attacks of December 7, 
1941 demonstrated the best of American virtue under the harshest possible 
conditions imaginable.  He withstood the withering fire of a surprise attack, 
but perhaps more significantly, he overcame the institutional bigotry that 
regarded him inferior based solely on the color of his skin.  This ability to 
rise above prejudice and injustice is what defines us as a nation, and it is 
what our allies and partners admire about us the most.
In my remarks last week I said, Wherever and whenever the people of the world 
will see the USS DORIS MILLER, they'll know what we value, what we stand for, 
and who we are as a people.  What they will see is YOU the most diverse, and 
professional naval force, in the world.  No other nation can come close to us 
on either of those two dimensions.  Never discount the importance of your 
example, your professionalism, and your values, and how that influences what 
other people think about us as a nation.  Like Doris Miller, your courage, 
competence, and character must always demonstrate what is good about the 
United States of America.  Take your role seriously in this regard.  It will 
be rewarding with respect to the relationships you build with others around 
the world, and it will be invaluable in our efforts to secure a stronger, 
stable, and more agile network of naval partners united in a desire for 
enduring peace and security.  Go Navy, and of course, as always, Beat Army!

6.  SECNAV Vectors are released each Friday to the entire DON.  Previous 
Vectors can be viewed https://navylive.dodlive.mil/2020/01/02/secnav-
vectors/.

7.  Released by the Honorable Thomas B. Modly, Acting Secretary of the 
Navy.//

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