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SLIDESHOW | images | 230920-N-UD469-1058 NEWPORT, R.I. (Sept. 20, 2023) – Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti delivers opening remarks at the 25th International Seapower Symposium (ISS), in Newport, R.I, Sept. 19. ISS is a biennial event hosted by the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations at the United States Naval War College since 1969. The symposium provides a forum for dialogue that bolsters maritime security by providing opportunities for international heads of navies and coast guards to collaborate, develop trust, and further maritime training. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Amanda Gray/Released)

Welcome back everyone!

I hope that all of your conversations and engagements this morning were both productive and fruitful. It’s my sense by walking around and seeing all the connections being made, that we are really starting to build on those friendships, and build that trust that we would really like to continue to have as we face our shared challenges together.

So, this morning, I suggested that the interdependencies of the global system offer critical opportunities for collaboration across the maritime domain.  And I offered that securing and strengthening our global system will require courageous action and creative solutions from all of us.  And that’s really why we’re here at ISS.

This afternoon, I’d like to expand on these ideas.  We gather this week at a pivotal moment in our collective history.  The decisions we make now – as leaders of the global maritime community – will shape our future. 

I believe that this interconnected yet fragile world calls for our even-keeled leadership, our combined strength, and our mutual resolve. 

The community of nations represented here today understands well that these are turbulent times, not unlike those we faced back in 1969, at the first ISS.  We have all scanned the horizon and we have seen the forces threatening to make the world more unstable … and more dangerous. 

We face many common challenges, from the impacts of climate change and food insecurity to terrorism, migration, contagious diseases, and energy shortages.

We see the violation of basic rights and principles, such as territorial integrity and national sovereignty, which are foundational to international law.

We’ve read reports like the one recently issued by the United Nations, which finds that arms proliferation has reached its highest point in decades.

And all of us are trying to discern how technological revolutions such as unmanned systems and artificial intelligence will change the way we design and operate our forces.

These challenges … and more … are not just local, but regional, trans-regional, and global.   They affect us both individually and collectively. 

And they present tremendous opportunity for the maritime community to work together, imaginatively and cooperatively. 

For example, rising sea levels and increasingly severe storm surges threaten our ports, our harbors, and our maritime infrastructure.  They affect our bases, our Sailors, and our civilians.  Our navies are expected to identify policies and practices to mitigate risk, and minimize impacts to our operations. 

As we do so, we have the chance to share solutions and insights, and to work together to develop adaptation strategies that will make our facilities and our communities more resilient. 

Similarly, receding ice in the Arctic is unlocking routes for trans-oceanic shipping, and opening previously inaccessible areas to resource exploration.  Countries will need to become more familiar with the Arctic operating environment while also managing risks associated with increased economic and military activity.  We can do this only through effective communication and by deepening our coordination. 

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing endangers ocean ecosystems and exacerbates tensions at sea.  Again, we need to synchronize our efforts – collecting and sharing data on these activities while identifying best practices for detecting, deterring, reducing, and ultimately eliminating IUU fishing. 

In support of these goals, the U.S. Navy contributes to the broader U.S. Coast Guard and interagency strategies to build interoperability with our counterparts – with many of you.  This includes the growing use of unmanned platforms that can greatly enhance our collective maritime domain awareness.  And we are committed to do doing more.

A common thread across all these challenges is the need for the secure, free, and uninterrupted flow of commerce across the oceans.  The seas are the lifeblood of our economy, our security, and our way of life.

Nothing facilitates this flow of commerce more than the container ship.  It is the single greatest vehicle of trade on the planet, and perhaps the single greatest symbol of our interconnectedness.

It is not uncommon for such a ship to be owned by one country, operated by a company from a second country, and crewed by people from a third … with goods originating in dozens of countries, destined for dozens more. 

Because we live in such an interconnected and interdependent system, any disruption to this flow of goods – even to a lone container ship – can have global repercussions. 

For example, if a container ship is seized, or hijacked by pirates – or by other malign actors – it creates a ripple effect felt around the world. 

Concerted efforts by national authorities, regional partners, and international navies have made real progress in combatting piracy and armed robbery in places like the Gulf of Guinea and the Indian Ocean.  The U.S. Navy is proud to contribute to these efforts.  We recognize that continued engagement is needed to pool our resources and help fill national capacity gaps … and we want to better understand where these gaps are.

Likewise, if a ship is supposed to carry grain to countries in urgent need, and it is prevented from leaving port or threatened while underway, it only further stresses the entire international food supply system.   

Our navies understand the maritime operational environment affects these shipments … and we can use this understanding to help develop strategies and provide options to civilian decision-makers as they work through diplomatic solutions to such problems.

All these examples underscore the fact that in a world increasingly prone to turbulence and turmoil … security through partnership is critical.

Only through partnership can we become more resilient to food insecurity, energy disruption, and supply chain ruptures.

Only through partnership can we effectively collaborate and prepare for increasingly frequent natural disasters.

And only through partnership can we strengthen the security of our maritime community.

No one Navy – no single nation – can handle these challenges alone.  

We – the global maritime community – must work together in solidarity and align efforts in a way that benefits us all.  We must do this deliberately, voluntarily, and collectively. 

So, fellow leaders, this week we have an opportunity to increase resilience, strengthen security, and promote prosperity—as partners.  And as we define, with broad strokes, the overall shape of our maritime partnership, I would offer that it should have at least three characteristics.

First, our partnership should be collaborative and integrated.  There should be no North or South … no East and West … but instead coalitions of countries who can participate in and engage on matters of common interest.  

From food and energy security and the impacts of a changing climate, to artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies, our maritime community can work together on shared challenges in a regional, trans-regional, and global framework that are fit for purpose. 

Second, this partnership should be inclusive.  Every maritime nation has a seat at the table and a role to play, no matter the size of your forces or the extent of your capabilities. 

In this combined effort, the U.S. Navy will lead when asked … and will support when that is best.  In this interconnected world, every navy and coast guard counts. And let me just say that one more time, in this interconnected world, every navy and every coast guard counts.

Third, I suggest that our partnership is strongest when it is based on principles embodied in international law. These principles, such as national sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, and human dignity benefit everyone.  These principles give us a shared reference point, and allow us to build trust.  And ultimately, it is this trust that will sustain us and strengthen us.

In closing, this decade offers us—the maritime leaders of the world—a choice. 

We have the opportunity to choose engagement over withdrawal, to promote integration over fragmentation, to favor inclusion over exclusion, to champion collaboration over protectionism, and to choose principles over sheer power, as the basis for a partnership that benefits everyone.

The choice to come together to address overlapping challenges is ours to make.  And the framework for this partnership is ours to shape.  I look forward to shaping it with you. 

I am confident that, through partnership, we can strengthen our resilience, increase our prosperity, and improve our security. 

I know that we will be stronger together. 

Thank you all very much.