Good afternoon, everyone. It’s great to be here in Boston with all of you!

Thank you to the crew of the USS Constitution for hosting us aboard “Old Ironsides” – a ship that remains in commission, remains on watch, and remains a living connection to the origins of American sea power.

To leaders of our military and service organizations, to our interagency and civic partners, and to the local leadership who help sustain the connection between this nation and its maritime heritage – thank you for being here today.

We gather in a place that carries extraordinary weight for our profession. Because USS Constitution is more than a ship. She is a reminder that American security, prosperity, and influence have always depended upon maritime power.

She is more than a museum or a symbol. For nearly 230 years, she has borne witness to the American story - and to the enduring truth that free nations must be able to defend their interests at sea.

She has witnessed the uncertainty of a young republic finding its footing in the world and generations of Americans answering the call to serve.

She has witnessed moments of triumph, moments of sacrifice, moments of renewal, and moments when the future of our nation seemed anything but certain.

And today, as America approaches its 250th birthday, she remains where she has always been – on watch.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of citizens declared that free people could govern themselves.

It was a bold idea. It was an imperfect beginning.

And it was anything but guaranteed.

The generation that founded this nation inherited uncertainty, danger, and risk.

They faced powerful adversaries, economic hardship, and deep disagreements among themselves.

Yet they shared a conviction that the future was worth building - and worth defending.

And they understood something that remains true today: A nation whose prosperity depends upon the sea must possess the maritime power necessary to protect it.

When Constitution was launched in 1797, the United States was still defining its place in the world.

A young nation. Young institutions. A young Navy, just beginning to chart its course in an uncertain world.

American commerce was expanding, but American power remained fragile.

The oceans offered opportunity, but they also exposed vulnerability.

The leaders of that generation recognized that sovereignty required more than declarations and aspirations.

It required the ability to protect American interests, American commerce, and American citizens wherever they sailed.

That understanding led directly to one of the most consequential decisions in our naval history.

When the young republic determined it needed a Navy, it did not begin with dozens of ships or a sprawling fleet.

It began with six frigates. Those six frigates represented something larger than ships. They represented a national decision to invest in strength before crisis, not after it.

Built across six different shipyards in six different cities – from Boston to Portsmouth, from New York to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and beyond.

This was not accidental. It was deliberate.

It was an effort to build naval power quickly, while also binding a young nation together through shared purpose and shared investment.

Those six frigates became more than warships.

They became symbols of a nation learning to act as one – with one interest, one future, and one stake in the sea.

And of those six, only one remains.

USS Constitution endures as the last surviving member of that original fleet.

A living artifact of the moment when the United States first stepped onto the world stage as a maritime power.

That is where this ship becomes more than history.

Because her name is not accidental either.

The Constitution created the Navy. And USS Constitution became its enduring symbol.

One is a governing document.

The other is a warship still in commission.

Together, they tell a single story: Liberty requires strength, and maritime nations remain free only when they possess the power to defend their interests at sea.

The same spirit that built Constitution lives today in the Sailors standing watch around the world, in our shipyards and aviation depots, in our maintenance facilities and training commands, and aboard the ships, submarines, and aircraft that defend our nation every day.

The platforms have changed. The mission has not.

Our responsibility remains the same as it was in 1797 - to generate combat-credible naval power, protect American interests, and provide our nation's leaders sovereign options from the sea.

And there is something else that makes today significant.

Many Americans know USS Constitution as a museum.

They walk her decks. They learn her stories. They see her as a preserved piece of history.

But she is not only that. She is a commissioned warship of the United States Navy.

Her crew still stands watch. Her colors still fly. And her commission is still active.

And today, as we sail aboard her once again, we are reminded of something extraordinary.

This ship was built to sail. And more than two centuries later, she still does.

That is not nostalgia. It’s proof that Americans have always understood the importance of preserving the tools of national power across generations.

And that is a reminder that naval power is not simply something we describe – it is something we maintain, operate, and demonstrate.

Constitution’s legacy extends far beyond her victories in battle. Her enduring contribution was demonstrating that a capable Navy creates strategic effects far greater than its size. She helped secure American commerce, protect American interests, and establish American credibility around the world.

That signal still matters today.

And it is reinforced every day by Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Guardians, Coast Guardsmen, and the civilian professionals who sustain our national defense enterprise. Each service brings a distinct capability. Together, we generate integrated combat power capable of deterring aggression, assuring allies, and prevailing in conflict.

That integration is not theoretical. It is operational. And it is essential to deterrence in a world where competitors are testing the seams between services, between domains, and between authorities.

As we approach Nation 250, we are not only commemorating history – we are confronting a strategic question.

How do we ensure that future generations inherit the same maritime advantages that previous generations fought to secure?

We are clear-eyed about the environment in which the next 250 will begin.

We are in a period of sustained competition at sea.

Our competitors are investing heavily in military capability. They are expanding fleets, modernizing weapons, contesting access, and challenging the rules and norms that have underpinned global security and prosperity for decades.

They understand something the founders of this nation understood as well: maritime power matters. It mattered in 1797 when Constitution first sailed. It matters today when global commerce, information, energy, and military power continue to move across the maritime domain.

It matters because the oceans remain the connective tissue of the global economy.

Nearly everything that powers modern life - trade, energy, information, and military logistics - depends on access to the maritime domain. The oceans remain the world's primary avenue for commerce and strategic influence.

Together, these maritime and inland waterways form the arteries of global commerce and human connectivity.

Those realities make the maritime domain increasingly contested – and increasingly important.

That is why deterrence is not an abstract concept.

Deterrence is not a slogan. It’s the product of ready forces, capable Sailors, credible combat power, and the demonstrated will to use them if necessary. Every day our Navy operates forward, we strengthen deterrence and provide our nation with sovereign options from the sea.

It is built through readiness. It is reinforced through presence.

And it is sustained by demonstrating the capability and credibility to prevail should deterrence fail.

Let me close with this.

USS Constitution reminds us that naval service has always been about more than presence – it has been about purpose.

The Sailors who first served aboard this ship could not have imagined the Navy of today.

They could not have imagined nuclear propulsion, aircraft carriers, cyber warfare, or operations in space. Yet they would immediately recognize the importance of readiness, competence, courage, and service.

But they would recognize the responsibility.

The obligation to be ready and the commitment to defend the nation, preserve peace through strength, and serve something larger than themselves.

As we stand here aboard Constitution, preparing to celebrate 250 years of our Nation, that responsibility now belongs to us.

We are the stewards of a maritime inheritance purchased through generations of sacrifice and service.

The beneficiaries of extraordinary sacrifice.

And the bridge between those who built this nation and those who will inherit it.

The duty of every generation is not merely to admire what was handed to them. It’s to strengthen it, improve it, and pass it forward. That is what the builders of Constitution did for us. It is what we owe those who will follow us.

May we prove worthy of that trust.

May we honor the legacy represented by this ship.

And may we ensure that the next 250 years of the American story are every bit as remarkable as the first.

Thank you, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.