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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.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//
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