Good afternoon, everyone!

Thank you, Rear Admiral Garvin, for inviting me to speak to this group of rising in-resident students at the Naval War College and for your incredible leadership at this bastion of military education and strategy.

To all of our general officers, flag officers, senior enlisted leaders, distinguished visitors, guests, and students: welcome, and thank you for joining us today.

I am grateful to be here with you, to speak at the Future Warfighting Symposium.

And I believe this year’s theme—“Navigating the Future: A Summit of Geopolitical Risks”—is particularly apt here and now at the Naval War College.

To remain competitive in today’s age of conflict, we must leverage every advantage available to us.

And we are laser-focused on the future of warfighting because of the uncertainty and challenges we face in the world today.

We need you, our warrior scholars, at the tip of the spear, because we face existential threats and challenges in every corner of the globe.

In Europe, Russia is well into the third year of its full-scale and illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Last month, we and our NATO allies gathered in Washington to re-affirm our commitment to our Ukrainian partners.

Ukraine is fighting not just for their own liberty and freedom—they are fighting to protect democracy in Europe and indeed around the world.

We are proud to stand beside them in support of their just and noble cause.

For the first time since World War II, we face a comprehensive maritime power—our pacing challenge—in the Indo-Pacific.

The People’s Republic of China continues to exert its excessive maritime claims through their navy, coast guard, and maritime militia.

And the PRC is observing lessons from the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Red Sea.

In the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, we continue working alongside our NATO allies and Middle East partners to protect innocent, civilian mariners and commercial shipping against Iranian-aligned Houthi attacks.

Immediately following the October 7th attacks in Israel, our Navy and Marine Corps were on station, a ready integrated force capable of responding to any threat.

Our ships and aircraft deterred and defeated missiles and drones which threatened innocent maritime shipping—Carney, Mason, Gravely, Laboon, Thomas Hudner, and Eisenhower—these ships’ exemplary performance under fire calls back to their namesakes’ warfighting legacies.

Carrier Air Wing Three—our “Battle Axe”—deployed over sixty air-to-air missiles and over 420 air-to-surface weapons in defense of civilian mariners in the Red Sea.

And Bataan Amphibious Ready Group with embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deterred hostile Houthi attacks against innocent ships and helped prevent the conflict from spreading throughout the region.

These warfighters earned the Navy Unit Commendation and Combat Action Ribbon that I awarded to them earlier this year.

My wife Betty and I had the honor and privilege to welcome the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and Bataan ARG when they returned home this year.

Seeing all of the families and friends on the pier for our Sailors and Marines underscored the integral role our families play in our armed forces.

We could not do this job without them.

And because of their support, our Navy and Marine Corps Team serves as a powerful testament of our Nation’s commitment to our allies and partners in Europe, the Middle East, and Indo-Pacific regions.

Last fall, at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, I announced my vision for a new Maritime Statecraft to prevail in an era of intense strategic competition.

Maritime Statecraft encompasses not only naval diplomacy and maritime competition, but a national, whole-of government effort to build comprehensive U.S. and allied maritime power, both commercial and naval.

Maritime Statecraft depends not only on a strong Navy and Marine Corps, but also active engagement in areas of economic development, trade, education, science, innovation, and climate diplomacy to enable us to compete on a global scale.

A key tenet of Maritime Statecraft is the recognition that no great naval power has long endured without also being a commercial maritime power.

Making naval shipbuilding more cost effective requires we restore the competitiveness of U.S. commercial shipping and shipbuilding, which began to decline in the 1980s.

This is why I have been working outside the lifelines of the Department, meeting with cabinet leaders across this administration to build awareness and advocate that long-term solutions to many of the Navy’s challenges require we renew the health of our nation’s broader seapower ecosystem.

This past year, I drove the creation of the Government Shipbuilder’s Council, which brings us together with MARAD, Coast Guard, NOAA, and yes, even the Army, to tackle common challenges in ship construction and maintenance.

We have catalyzed multiple White House-led interagency processes on both naval and commercial shipbuilding, bringing together the National Security Council, National Economic Council, and Departments across the Executive Branch. 

And my team is working with partners in Congress to reinvigorate existing but unfunded authorities and craft new incentives to build and flag commercial ships in the United States.

We expect these efforts will offer significant returns to Navy shipbuilding and sealift.

And Maritime Statecraft has gone global.

In February, I traveled to the Republic of Korea and Japan where I met with top executives of some of the world’s most technologically advanced and prolific dual-use commercial and naval shipyards. 

These companies are recognized leaders of the global shipbuilding industry, and their presence in the United States could introduce new competitive dynamics, renowned innovation, and unrivaled industrial capacity within the domestic shipbuilding market.

During each of these engagements, I brought to the table a simple, yet profound opportunity and message: invest in America.

In June, Hanwha announced they had reached an agreement to purchase the Philly Shipyard. Hanwha’s intent is to expand the yard’s facilities, update its technology, double the size of the workforce, and quadruple the output to compete for both commercial and naval shipbuilding contracts.

I am hopeful that Hanwha will be just the first of many world-class shipbuilders to come to America and take part in our country’s maritime renaissance.

Maritime Statecraft is a means, and maritime dominance is the ends.

Tomorrow marks my third anniversary as Secretary of the Navy, and it has been the honor of my life to serve alongside the nearly one million Sailors, Marines, and Department of the Navy civilians who serve our great Nation.

When I first came into office, I laid out my vision for the Department of the Navy through three Enduring Priorities. They are:

• Strengthening Maritime Dominance,
• Building a Culture of Warfighting Excellence, and
• Enhancing Strategic Partnerships.

These priorities serve as the basis for all that we do in the Department.

To fight and decisively win our Nation’s wars, we cannot rely on merely maintaining our seapower—we must strengthen our maritime dominance.

While we work to expand our shipbuilding capacity, we are also focusing significant attention on innovations that will make our current fleet more formidable.

This is why I have prioritized fielding the Transportable Re-Arming Mechanism (TRAM), which will provide our surface combatants with a game-changing capability to reload their Vertical Launch Systems while underway in open ocean.

TRAM offers us an achievable, near-term deterrent that will disrupt the strategic calculus of those who would do us harm.

Last month, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division successfully conducted the first land-based demonstration of TRAM, a key milestone leading up to the at-sea demonstration which I have directed to take place in the fall.

We have the best engineers in the Navy making this capability real. I am incredibly proud of that team for their efforts to meet the aggressive timeline that I have set to field TRAM across the fleet.

No longer will our warships need to withdraw from combat for extended periods to reload in port.  Our surface force has proved itself in battle in the Red Sea.  Now, by enabling our combatants to refill their magazines underway, TRAM offers us a powerful near-term deterrent that will disrupt the strategic calculus of those who would do us harm.

And next week, we will take another logistical innovation to sea. The Modular CONSOL Adapter Kit, or MCAK, will enable commercial tankers to help sustain our fleet in forward areas.  And it can be installed on any tanker in the world in just 36 hours.

By leveraging our advantage in connected underway replenishment, these advances effectively increase the size and combat power of our fleet—a prospect that should give any would-be aggressor pause.

This is what strengthening maritime dominance looks like.

And being the dominant Navy we are, we have not stopped there. We continue to use emerging and next-generation technologies to further our warfighting superiority.

The Hybrid Fleet is no longer simply just a concept—it is a reality.

Shortly after I took office as Secretary of the Navy, we launched Task Force 59, and over a year ago, it reached full operational capability.

The work accomplished by Task Force 59 in the Fifth Fleet, in concert with our allies and partners in the region, have laid the groundwork for future unmanned operations around the world—including as an integrated crewed and uncrewed force in Fourth and Seventh Fleets.

And just as the Navy and Marine Corps protect sealines of communication and commerce, we also protect the cyber domain to contest malicious cyber actors.

Last year, I released the first-ever Department of the Navy Cyber Strategy which outlined my priorities for cyberspace. We must project power in and through cyberspace. My Principal Cyber Advisor and Chief Information Officer are hard at work overseeing the strategy’s implementation and strengthening our cyber posture—and we are already seeing results.

Our people are the foundational strength of this Department, and they provide us competitive warfighting advantage over our adversaries.

Our priority of building a culture of warfighting excellence is founded on strong leadership that is rooted in treating each other with dignity and respect—creating an environment in which our Sailors and Marines can realize their inherent potential.

It includes not only taking care of our people, but also maximizing education opportunities, cultivating research, development, science, and technology.

This year, the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group executed the first Integrated Air Defense Course in the new Integrated Training Facility in Fallon, Nevada, a revolution in virtual-constructive training facilities.

Because of the foundational training provided by the tacticians at the Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center and the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, our forces excelled under intense combat situations.

And the cutting-edge technology at these facilities could not exist without the research, development, and education to support them.

Education is a critical warfighting enabler, providing our Sailors, Marines, and civilians the tools necessary to succeed.

Last year, I released my Naval Education Strategy, which outlined the ways in which we will use education for future force readiness and competitive advantage.

Throughout our lines of effort, we are making strides to implement a learning continuum for the entire force, integrate education into talent management frameworks for more precise and agile talent management, and strengthen the Naval University System.

We have increased investments in the NUS—the Naval War College, United States Naval Academy, ROTC programs, Marine Corps University, Naval Postgraduate School, and the United States Naval Community College—to foster the intellectual edge needed to prevail in peace or war.

Our Marine Corps launched the Marine Innovation Unit, which leverages the skillsets of our talented Marine reservists to find solutions and accomplish engagements integral to our warfighting future.

And this initiative directly supports the Marine Corps’ Force Design modernization efforts—ensuring our ability to fight a peer adversary on the modern battlefield.

Last September, I stood up the Science and Technology Board, with the intent that the board provide independent advice and counsel to the Department of the Navy on matters and policies relating to scientific, technical, manufacturing, acquisition, logistics, medicine, and business management functions.

And this year, I released our new Naval Science and Technology Strategy, guiding our Navy and Marine Corps’ innovation initiatives and science and technology research efforts during this decisive period.

Our Department prioritizes people first and foremost—because people are our greatest strength and force resilience begins and ends with them.

Last year, I directed the immediate implementation of the Brandon Act, which honors the life of Petty Officer Third Class Brandon Caserta, who tragically died by suicide in 2018. The Brandon Act allows service members to seek confidential help for any reason, at any time, and in any environment.

This act helps remove the stigma from seeking help for mental health and improves access to mental health care for service members—something we all as leaders simply must be invested in.

Building a culture of warfighting excellence crucially encompasses learning from the past and righting historic wrongs.

Last month, I had the opportunity and obligation to correct a historic injustice and place the Department of the Navy on the right side of history.

Port Chicago Naval Magazine, approximately 25 miles from San Francisco, served a critical role in supporting combat operations in the Pacific Theater.

On the evening of July 17th, 1944, munitions being loaded onto the S.S. E.A Bryan detonated, killing 320 Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, civilians, and others—and inuring an additional 390.

Over 200 of these fallen heroes were African American Sailors, many of their bodies torn to pieces because of the explosion.

258 surviving Sailors, traumatized by the blast, unsafe working conditions, lack of training, and fearful for their lives, were charged with refusing to continue loading munitions under said conditions.

After officials threaten these Sailors with disciplinary action, 208 of the Sailors returned to work. The remaining 50 Sailors continued to refuse to return to work and were charged with mutiny.

This act was known as the Port Chicago Mutiny, and the 50 Sailors were known as the Port Chicago 50.

While every Sailor serving at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine had chosen to serve, the subsequent General and Summary Courts-martial labeled those 258 Sailors as criminals.

Upon the comprehensive review of these courts-martial and advice of the General Counsel, I made the decision—inherent within my authorities as Secretary of the Navy dating to the laws of the time—to set aside the courts-martial results of all 258 Sailors convicted as part of the Port Chicago incident.

This decision clears their names, restores their honor, and acknowledges the courage they displayed in the face of immense danger.

While long overdue, this is the justice these Sailors—our people—deserve.

To be the most effective fighting force, our Navy and Marine Corps is enhancing strategic partnerships across the Joint Force, industry, academia, and with our allies and partners around the globe.

Last month, alongside officials from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, we announced the Michigan Maritime Manufacturing Initiative (M3), a federal, state, and local partnership to help rebuild the maritime industrial base workforce that the Navy needs.

We have partnered with Michigan’s Macomb [muh-COAM] and Oakland Community Colleges to focus on ship and submarine production skillsets.

To tackle the critical need to advance shipbuilding research and design, our Office of Naval Research recently funded a 14-million-dollar Center for Naval Research and Education at the University of Michigan.

We are also excited to have just facilitated a new educational partnership with the University of Michigan, Seoul National University, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.

America was once a nation which led the world in shipbuilding.

And with the efforts of Americans across the country, we will restore our status as a leading shipbuilding nation once more.

The Naval War College is a national treasure. There is no institution better suited to build the intellectual foundation of maritime statecraft. It is in your DNA.

Luce, Mahan, Sims—icons of this institution—changed the world with revolutionary works on sea power. They recognized then, as now, that for the United States, maritime strategy is grand strategy.

Extraordinary thought leadership here in Newport made the nation a global power at the dawn of the 20th Century. 

In China, we face a full spectrum global maritime power for the first time in over a century. Today’s intense strategic competition demands a renaissance in America’s maritime power. And this institution must lead it once again.

I am grateful for Rear Admiral Garvin’s leadership organizing multiple conferences on Maritime Statecraft.

One of the most important outcomes of the recent Current Strategy Forum is the development of a set of research questions to inspire new original work by faculty and students.

I again emphasize that no great naval power has long endured without also being a maritime power. 

For the last forty years we have sought to defy that maxim—completely outsourcing our commercial shipping and shipbuilding to other countries. 

Is that still tenable today? When 99.6% of our seaborne commerce travels on foreign flagged ships what are the risks to our economy in times of crisis?

All of you in the audience today have a tremendous opportunity to lead the way on groundbreaking research we need to guide our actions and policies.

In case I have left it unclear, I can assure you that my staff and I will be avid readers of your work.  

We not only have it in our power, but in our charge to change the course of history once again. 

As I said before, it is the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside you as the 78th Secretary of the Navy.

May God bless our service men and women and all those to support them. Thank you.