Good afternoon, everyone!

It is wonderful to be here with you today to talk about the achievements of the Naval University System and Education for Seapower Advisory Board.  

I want to begin by recognizing the significant successes we are making towards achieving the objectives laid out in the Naval Education Strategy.

Your insights and recommendations have paved a clear path forward.

Thank you to the Office of Manpower and Reserve Affairs and the Naval Education Board for their leadership and diligent efforts in bringing our Naval Education Strategy to life.

Thank you to Assistant Secretary Parker, for your direction and enthusiasm for education for our service members.

Thank you, Secretary O’Keefe, for your leadership of the Education for Seapower Advisory Board.

Thank you, Dr. Vierling, for your hard work and dedication to the Naval University System.

Education plays a crucial role in building a culture of warfighting excellence—it is a tool which supports communication, character, judgment, diplomacy, and partnerships.

This is why the work you do in education matters.

You are making tremendous progress.

The Naval Community College is moving into the second phase of its accreditation process and embarking on its Initial Operating Capability phase.

The statistics from Pilot 2 and subsequent “State of the College” report underscore our achievements in fostering educational innovation, student engagement, and enhancing the readiness and capabilities of our servicemembers.

The Naval War College increased the number of previously unfilled Navy billets which will help foster a culture which values education.

The NWC is also preparing for its re-accreditation, focusing on joint warfighting and recruiting a faculty diverse in background and experience.

As the Naval Postgraduate School prepares for its next accreditation, it has trained its focus on relevant topics—artificial intelligence, ocean sciences, and space.

And I look forward to witnessing the vision for the Naval Innovation Center coming to life at NPS.

The NIC will provide an educational opportunity and venue unavailable anywhere else in the world, where industry and academic partners will work side-by-side with our NPS students to research and discover advanced warfighting solutions.

Education is the foundation upon which my own professional success was built.

As a Cuban immigrant, my American dream was realized through education.

And I firmly believe that no one should be denied the opportunity to better themselves through education—our Sailors, Marines, and civilians are no exception.

As we have seen in the world today, we need not only the best technology, but also a force which is comprised of the best critical and analytical thinkers to fight the wars of today and tomorrow.

I am committed to continuous progress, and I aim to assist in any way that I can.

Before I leave today, I ask a few things of you.

I urge you to continue to identify issues and work towards data-driven goals to solve them, in line with our long-term Naval Education Strategy.

Because in order to improve, we must first identify the issues which keep us from moving forward in our vision for naval education.

I also ask for your advice on improving our Naval University System.

What are ways I can help? What can I do?

The investments we make in education today will pay dividends for our future Sailors and Marines, and in turn, our nation security.

I am indebted to the tremendous work undertaken by our faculty and staff throughout the Naval University System, and I am grateful to all of you who play an important role in building a culture of warfighting excellence with the Department of the Navy.

Naval education is a key factor which ensures the readiness of our Navy and Marine Corps Team.

God Bless our Sailors, our Marines, our civilians, and all of those who support them.

Thank you.