Good afternoon. It’s wonderful to be with you today.

Ann (Zumwalt), it’s great to see you again. Thank you for the work that you and your team have done to put this event together.

Looking across this room, I’m struck by the extraordinary experience, service, and commitment represented here today. Distinguished guests, Ship Sponsors, Medal of Honor recipients, former Secretaries and CNOs, and Flag and General Officers – I’m grateful for the opportunity to be with you all today.

The work that each of you do matters more than most people realize. You are part of the connective tissue that binds this Navy across generations. You tie our ships to something deeper - something enduring.

Now, when most people think about ship sponsors, they think about ceremonies like christenings, launches, and milestones. And those moments matter.

But what you do goes far beyond that. This is not a ceremonial role - it’s a lifelong commitment to a ship, its crew, and its legacy.

You are part of the life of that ship - from the moment it enters the Fleet to the day it is decommissioned. And in many cases, long after.

That continuity - across crews, across deployments, across decades - is something the Navy cannot generate on its own. That comes from you.

And that’s exactly why this conversation is important right now. Because we are not in a routine period for our Navy.

We are operating in a security environment that is increasingly contested, fast-moving, and demanding in ways we have not seen in many years.

And you don’t have to look far to see that reality reflected in this room.

This year, we’ve surged submarines like USS SOUTH DAKOTA and USS VIRGINIA into the EUCOM AOR, where they operated in contested waters.

Carrier Strike Groups are deployed in the Middle East, bringing significant air, sea, and ground capabilities to protect shipping lanes and support regional security operations.

We’re also building the future of the force at speed. Just days ago, we commissioned USS IDAHO.

And last month, we commissioned USS HARVEY C. BARNUM JR. (DDG-124) - a warship that now carries forward the legacy of a Marine who, in one of the most violent moments of combat, refused to yield - and instead led.

Colonel Harvey C. Barnum Jr. is here with us today - along with his wife Martha, the ship’s sponsor, who has carried that legacy alongside him.

That ship is not just a name on a hull. It is a living extension of a story - a standard that every Sailor aboard will now be expected to uphold.

And that’s exactly what we’re talking about when we talk about this moment for our Navy.

Because the ships we are sending forward today - into contested waters, into real operations - are not abstract instruments of national power.

They are crewed by Sailors who are inheriting legacies like that and are expected to live up to them in real time.

Across the Fleet today, your ships are forward. They are operating in contested spaces. They are doing exactly what this nation asks of its Navy: showing up, staying forward, and, when required, fighting.

The first three months of this year have tested the mettle of our Navy in ways we have not seen in some time.

From the Caribbean and South America to the Middle East, we have moved beyond theoretical readiness into sustained, high-end operations.

Across multiple theaters, our Navy has been called upon to deter aggression, protect commerce, reassure allies, and, when necessary, deliver decisive combat power.

Our Sailors have performed superbly - in the air, on the surface, and beneath the sea.

That’s not just a milestone - that’s a message.

A message that we are ready. A message that we are capable. And a message that we will hold the advantage - above, on, and below the sea.

But here’s the part I want to be very clear about: Ships don’t do that. Steel doesn’t do that. Sailors do.

Sailors who are trained, led, and ready to operate forward in harm’s way.

And I’ll tell you - what I’ve seen from our Sailors over these past months has been nothing short of exceptional.

Young officers making decisions under pressure. Chiefs and petty officers solving problems in real time. Commanding officers exercising judgment in environments where there is no perfect information - only consequences.

That’s the kind of Navy we are building. A Navy that is comfortable operating with uncertainty. Sailors who are ready to fight and win tonight if called upon.

And those Sailors are not alone. They are connected - to families, to communities, and to all of you.

Because every ship has a story. Every crew has a backbone. And every Sailor has someone behind them who makes it possible for them to serve.

That’s where you come in.

Ship sponsors are part of that extended family. You are advocates, connectors, and, in many ways, keepers of the ship’s spirit across generations.

You remind our crews that their ship is more than a platform - it’s a legacy. And that’s where your role becomes more powerful than most people realize.

Because warships operate on steel and systems, but they fight on identity. They fight with pride for the name on the hull and connection to those who came before them.

And they fight on the belief that what they are doing matters - to someone beyond the lifelines of that ship.

You help build that belief. When a crew knows their ship has a sponsor who cares, stays engaged, and knows their story - that creates something intangible, but real.

It creates ownership. It creates accountability. And in the moments that matter most - it creates resilience.

And that connection - to something bigger than the mission, bigger than the moment - matters in combat more than we often talk about.

Because when Sailors know they are supported - when they know someone cares about their ship, their crew, and their families - they fight differently.

They fight with confidence. They fight with purpose. They fight knowing they are not alone.

And that brings me to the most important part of this equation - the homefront.

Because none of what I just described - none of it - happens without the strength and resilience of Navy families.

Families who carry the weight of service in ways that never appear in an operations order - through missed holidays, changed plans, quiet resilience, and unwavering support.

Families who endure the long deployments, the uncertainty, and the quiet sacrifices that come with this profession.

And families who, just like you, remain connected to our Sailors and our ships in ways that sustain them.