Commandant, Acting Chief of Naval Operations, Superintendents, members of the Secretariat, General and Flag Officers, former Secretaries of the Navy, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, distinguished guests, Academy faculty and staff, good afternoon. Since 1845, the United States Naval Academy has...

NORFOLK, Va. – The Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) returned to Naval Station Norfolk (NSN), Aug. 17, 2025, marking the successful completion of Continuing Promise 2025 (CP25). Comfort returned to NSN after a 79-day deployment, providing medical care, humanitarian assistance...

Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey is a native of Tacoma, Washington. He is a Calvin College graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and received his commission from the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island in 1991. He holds a Master of Science in Civil and...

Rear Admiral Jeff Kilian is a native of Spokane, Washington. Prior to joining the Navy, Kilian served four years as a Marine assigned to 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. In 1994 he was commissioned via Officer Candidate School.  He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering...

Admiral Brad Cooper is the proud son of a career Army Officer. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and earned a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. He studied international relations at Harvard and Tufts Universities. Cooper is a graduate of...