Good evening, everyone. Thank you Mark for that generous introduction, and more importantly, for your leadership of this community. You continue to set the standard.

And to the DC Area Submarine Association—thank you for bringing this community together tonight. Events like this don’t just happen. They’re built—just like everything else in this community—through commitment, pride, and a deep respect for those who serve beneath the waves.

It is an honor to be here with you as we celebrate the 126th birthday of the United States Submarine Force.

Now I’ve spoken at a few submarine birthday balls over the years… and I’ve learned something. Submariners don’t do nostalgia very well.

You don’t spend a lot of time looking backward. You’re usually focused on the next watch… the next contact… the next mission. But tonight—we’re going to do both.

We’re going to honor where this force came from.

And we’re going to talk about where it’s going—because - that future matters more now than at any point in recent history.

And I have to say—the theme tonight, “Forged to Fight,” gets it exactly right.

Because submariners are not just trained. You’re forged. Forged in the most unforgiving operating environment on Earth.

Forged in long deployments where the margin for error is zero—and the expectation for excellence is absolute.

Forged in a culture where everyone onboard knows—if something goes wrong, there’s no one else coming to help you.

And maybe most importantly…Forged in a community where trust isn’t a value—it’s a requirement for excellence.

Let’s be clear—the Submarine Force is different. Smaller crews. Greater technical complexity. And an operating environment that is completely indifferent and unforgiving to whether you succeed or fail.

Inside a submarine: Every Sailor matters. Every system matters. Every decision matters.

There is no excess capacity. No redundancy in leadership. No room for passengers.

And because of that—submariners don’t have the luxury to just develop competence. They develop ownership. They develop accountability.

And they develop something even more powerful—a culture where standards are not enforced from above… they are lived from within.

Now—and let’s be honest—on a submarine, if something breaks…Everyone knows about it. Usually immediately. And often very loudly.

But that’s exactly the point. That environment produces something rare: A team where everyone understands their role…And where no one walks past a problem. They own it and fix it.

That’s our Submarine Force. That’s our special sauce.

This culture didn’t happen by accident. It was built—over the last 126 years—by people willing to take risk before success was guaranteed.

When the Navy commissioned its first submarine in 1900, undersea warfare wasn’t doctrine. It was an experiment. The platforms were fragile. The technology was uncertain. And many senior leaders believed submarines would never play a decisive role in war.

But the Sailors who volunteered for this force saw something different. They saw the advantage of operating where others could not.

They saw the advantage of being unseen.

And they built a capability that would change naval warfare forever.

By World War II—that belief had been validated. Submarines made up less than 2% of the Navy. Yet they were responsible for over 50% of the destruction of the Japanese merchant fleet.

Over 1,300 enemy ships sunk. More than five million tons of shipping removed from the fight.

That’s not just effectiveness. That’s asymmetric dominance. That’s what happens when a force understands how to exploit and leverage its advantage.

But those victories came at a cost. 52 submarines lost. More than 3,500 submariners killed. A casualty rate of roughly 20%—the highest of any U.S. force in the war. Those Sailors are still on eternal patrol.

And their legacy is not just what they achieved…It’s the standard they set.

Then came the Cold War. And the Submarine Force didn’t just evolve—it became central to our national strategy - our national survival.

With nuclear propulsion—driven by Admiral Rickover’s relentless insistence on standards—we unlocked something extraordinary: Persistence. Stealth. Endurance.

Submarines were no longer constrained by fuel or geography. They became truly global platforms.

And with the introduction of ballistic missile submarines—we delivered something even more consequential: A survivable, credible second-strike capability. The backbone of the nuclear triad. The ultimate guarantor of deterrence.

The “41 for Freedom” didn’t just change the Navy. Those submarines changed the strategic calculus of the world. And they did it quietly. Effectively.

Now let me shift from history to today’s reality. Because today—the Submarine Force is not a legacy capability. It’s a decisive warfighting advantage.

Right now—tonight—while we’re here in this ballroom…Submarines are forward. Operating in contested waters. Tracking adversaries. Holding targets at risk. Providing the Nation options that no other force can deliver.

And here’s the part we need to say out loud: Our adversaries know it.

They are investing heavily in undersea warfare. They are trying to close the gap. They are trying to find you. And they are trying to deny the very advantage that submariners have spent 126 years perfecting.

But here’s the reality: They can build platforms. They can copy technology. They cannot replicate this culture. They cannot replicate the trust, the standards, the accountability - and the mastery that define our force. That is our enduring advantage.

And this past year—we saw something that should get everyone’s attention. During Operation EPIC FURY, a U.S. submarine executed the first torpedo strike against an enemy surface vessel since World War II. Let that sink in. Not a simulation. Not a deterrent patrol. A real-world combat action.

Executed with precision. Executed with discipline. Executed with overwhelming effectiveness.

And then—just as importantly—the submarine continued doing what submarines do best: Remaining unseen. Without bravado. Without fanfare. That’s how we roll. With extreme lethality. That is relevant, timely, and game changing.

That is what it means to be forged to fight.

Now, let me frame this in a way you’ve heard me talk about before: Foundry. Fleet. Fight.

In the Foundry—we build submariners. Not just through training—but through standards. Through accountability. Through a culture that demands excellence.

In the Fleet—we deliver capability. Platforms that are unmatched in stealth, endurance, and lethality.

And in the Fight—we deliver effects. Decisive. Asymmetric. Strategic. Submarines don’t just participate in the fight. They shape it. They create uncertainty for the adversary.

Submarines force our adversaries to defend everywhere—because we could be anywhere. And that uncertainty is power – power to create the deterrence to shape behavior and outcomes in our favor.

Now here’s where I’m going to push us a bit. Because this is a celebration—but it’s also a moment of responsibility.

We cannot assume this advantage will last. We cannot assume the environment will get easier. And we cannot assume that what got us here will be enough to get us where we need to go.

So what do we need to do? First—we have to protect the Foundry.

That means investing in our Sailors. Quality of service. Effective training. Retention of our best people. Because without them—none of this works.

That means delivering our Columbia-class on time. Expanding Virginia-class production. Stabilizing and improving the industrial base. And being honest about capacity, throughput, and risk. Because if we don’t build and sustain the force—we won’t have the force we need today not to mention tomorrow.

And third—we must accelerate how we evolve the force.

That means integrating unmanned systems. Expanding undersea sensing and communications. Leveraging AI-enabled decision advantage. Fielding smarter and longer range weapons. And ensuring that submarines remain the centerpiece of our undersea dominance in what will be a far more contested environment.

This is where the future of the Golden Fleet Initiative comes into play.

A future fleet design that combines high-end platforms like submarines with complementary capabilities—manned and unmanned—to create a layered, resilient, and lethal warfighting system.

And I will tell you plainly: Submarines are not just part of that future. They are foundational to it.

But even with all of that—platforms, technology, strategy—none of it matters without culture.

Because at the end of the day: Steel doesn’t win wars. People do.

And submariners bring something to the fight that is very hard to quantify—but impossible to ignore:

Discipline under pressure. Calm in uncertainty. And a relentless commitment to getting it right.

Because you must. There is no other option. And that is why this force continues to deliver—generation after generation.

So tonight—as we celebrate 126 years of the Submarine Force—We are not just celebrating history.

We are celebrating a standard. A standard of excellence. A standard of accountability. A standard that says—when the Nation needs its most decisive advantage—It will come from beneath the sea.

So, take pride in what you’ve built. Honor those who came before you. Thank the families who make this service possible. And most importantly, stay sharp. Stay ready.

Because somewhere—right now—there is a submarine on station…Doing exactly what this force has always done: Operating quietly. Remaining lethal. And being exactly where the Nation needs it to be—Even when no one else knows it’s there.

So tonight - let’s celebrate! Happy 126th birthday to the United States Submarine Force.

And thank you—for everything you do for our Navy and our Nation