Good afternoon, everyone! It is wonderful to be here with you here at the United States Naval Academy for this special moment for our Academy, our Navy and Marine Corps, and indeed our Nation.

Governor Moore, Lieutenant Governor Miller, and Mayor Buckley, thank you for your leadership of the great State of Maryland and the City of Annapolis, as well as your continued partnership in support of a strong Navy and Marine Corps. Secretary Dalton, Secretary Braithwaite, it is an honor to have you both of you with us this afternoon. Welcome back to the Yard. Admiral Franchetti, Lieutenant General Glynn, distinguished guests, members of the Academy’s Board of Visitors, USNA alumni, faculty, and staff, and friends and families of Vice Admiral Davids and Rear Admiral Kacher, welcome, and thank you for joining us for today’sceremony.

For over 178 years, this institution has graduated the leaders our Nation required, from Admirals and Generals, leaders in industry, members of Congress, to a President of the United States.Today, we are gathered here in Memorial Hall to celebrate the transfer of responsibility between two of our Fleet’s great leaders—and products of Annapolis—Rear Admiral Fred Kacher, USNA Class of 1990, and Vice Admiral Yvette Davids, USNA Class of 1989. Since 1845, the United States Naval Academy has prepared men and women from all walks of life to lead our Sailors and Marines—both in times of peace and times of war.

As many in this room know, the mission of USNA is “to develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government.” To ensure this happens, the Secretary of the Navy is charged with nominating a career naval officer with strong leadership credentials to be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to guide this institution.

As a member of USNA’s great class of 1983, I know just how much impact the Superintendent can have on the 4,500 Midshipmen under their leadership, and can tell you that, without a doubt, my Superintendent—Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence—had a tremendous influence on how I have approached leadership roles over the last 40 years.

The Superintendent is indeed more than just a president of a college—they are a leader, a mentor, a role model for everyone stationed here on the yard—from the most junior Sailor and Midshipmen to the senior-most faculty members and military officers.

Their vision, their decisions, their conduct shapes the future leaders of our Fleet and our Force, ensuring that this institution graduates men and women of honor, of courage, and of commitment to our national security to ensure the United States of America remains a beacon of hope and prosperity.

Rear Admiral Kacher, thank you for serving as Superintendent of our alma mater over the last five months, taking over in August from my friend and Academy classmate, Vice Admiral Sean Buck.

You superbly led the Naval Academy during a period of uncertainty in our Flag Officer ranks, ensuring that the Senate confirmation holds did not become a distraction from the important work of developing our next generation of naval leaders.

You, your wife Pam, and your family continued to welcome our alumni home with open arms during class weekends, and you undoubtedly advanced this school’s strong sense of community during your tenure.

Your impact on the Academy, especially our Midshipmen, is evident.

As you return to Japan to assume command of the U.S. Seventh Fleet in support of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, I am pleased to announce that, from this day forward, you will enshrined in our alma mater’s history as the 64^th Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy.

This recognition is well-earned, and I cannot thank you enough for charting a course that will support your relief’s future success.

We look forward to your continued mentorship of these Midshipmen once they commission and are under your command throughout the Fleet.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor to welcome our 65^th Superintendent, Vice Admiral Yvette Davids, her husband Rear Admiral Keith Davids—USNA Class of 1990, and their sons Kai and Kiernan, back home to the Yard. While I am proud of each and every Admiral and General whose nominations I present to Secretary Austin and President Biden for consideration to assume greater positions of responsibility, I am especially proud of being afforded the opportunity to nominate Vice Admiral Davids for Superintendent.

During my Plebe Year from 1979 to 1980, my Firsties included the first group of women who were admitted to the United States Naval Academy.

My classmates and I watched them train, overcome adversity, and succeed in achieving their goal of becoming officers in the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

They proved to the nay-sayers that they were even more qualified to graduate from this school and serve our Nation.

They were the women in the arena that President Teddy Roosevelt talks about, they were warriors, and they blazed a trail that thousands of women have followed at this school as Midshipmen, and as officers leading our Sailors and Marines around the globe.

Vice Admiral Davids—who followed closely in their footsteps—has demonstrated her ability to successfully lead Sailors at the ship, carrier strike group, and most recently, force levels of command.

She is indeed representative of everything that makes America special.  Regardless of our race, our gender, where we came from or who we love—our nation, these United States, will provide opportunities to excel to those who work for it, and in our Navy, to those who prove themselves to be the strongest link in the chain.

Vice Admiral Davids, your career has led you to this moment, and I could not be more excited for you to lead this school that we both love so much.

Admiral Franchetti and I are confident that you are the right person to command the Naval Academy at this pivotal moment in our Nation’s history, and we are standing by to support you in any way that we can.

Again, it is an honor to be with you all this afternoon.  To the Kacher family, we wish you fair winds and following seas as you embark on your journey to Japan, and to the Davids family, again, welcome home to Annapolis.

May God bless our Sailors, Marines, Civilians, Midshipmen, and their families. Thank you.