Introduction

Good afternoon, everyone!

It is wonderful to be back here again in beautiful Newport, Rhode Island and a privilege to address this group of future-focused leaders from Salve Regina University and the Naval War College.

I truly appreciate Salve Regina University's partnership and commitment to providing educational opportunities for our Navy and Marine Corps Officers.

And I am honored to be a part of this important conference centered on an issue which affects us all, and critically affects the national security of our great Nation.

To the faculty and staff of Salve Regina University and the Naval War College, distinguished guests and visitors: welcome, and thank you for joining us today.

World Today

As I am certain you are all well aware, we face existential threats and challenges in every corner of the globe.

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

The United States proudly stands by the Ukrainian people as they fight for their freedom and sovereignty, and defend democracy for all free nations.

To the South of Ukraine, in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, we are 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 Team—represented by the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group—was on station, the ready integrated force capable of responding to any threat.

Today, our personnel onboard the Wasp ARG are on station in the Mediterranean Sea, while the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group are operating in the Middle East.

In addition to our surface presence, USS Georgia (SSGN 729) provides a powerful deterrence message from below the ocean’s waves.

And for the first time since World War II, we face a comprehensive maritime power 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.

From the Line of Actual Control high in the Himalayas, to disputed reefs barely peeking above the waves in the South China Sea, recent actions reveal the PRC’s willingness to execute “gray-zone tactics”—types of assault which are below the threshold of armed attack but beyond normal diplomatic actions.

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

And so, now, more than ever, it is imperative that we have a climate-ready force able to deter aggression and function decisively in every environment so that, if necessary, we will prevail in conflict.

Three Enduring Priorities

When I entered office as Secretary of the Navy, I laid out Three Enduring Priorities which are the foundation for all we do in the Department of the Navy.

They are:

Strengthening Maritime Dominance,

Building a Culture of Warfighting Excellence, and

Enhancing Strategic Partnerships.

My priority of Strengthening Maritime Dominance centers on ensuring our Sailors and Marines have the best ships, aircraft, and technology available, so that if we are called, we may fight and decisively win our Nation’s wars.

And to maintain our warfighting edge, we cannot rely simply on maintaining our seapower.

External threats continue to mount and change.

To remain the world’s dominant maritime force, the Department of the Navy must rapidly adapt and effectively counter existential threats such as climate change.

Today, climate change is one of the most destabilizing forces of our time, exacerbating national security concerns and posing serious readiness challenges for our Fleet and Force.

There exist numerous tangible examples of the impact of climate change on Navy and Marine Corps operations all over the world.

And the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events has only increased as time has passed. 

At sea and on shore, changing climate and rising sea levels crucially affect the day-to-day life of our Sailors and Marines.

Rising temperatures, too, stress and impact the systems within our buildings and installations, greatly decreasing their overall durability.

Along both our Pacific and Atlantic Coasts, sorties—or, deploying our ships due to threat of extreme weather in port—have become more commonplace.

And extreme weather events caused by climate change have displaced millions of people, creating climate refugees.

Our maritime forces have witnessed a substantial rise in the number and scope of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

Simply put, weather impacts normal Navy and Marine Corps operations.

Weather impacts where our ships can sail, where our amphibious craft can land, and when we can conduct flight operations.

However, while our world today faces increasingly unpredictable and devasting weather phenomenon, the Department of the Navy is strengthening our climate resilience and reducing our climate impacts to remain the world’s most powerful maritime force.

Building a Climate-Ready Force

Computer scientist pioneer, mathematician, visionary, and United States Rear Admiral Grace Hopper once said, “The most dangerous phrase in the language is, ‘We’ve always done it this way.’”

I implore all of you to assume Admiral Hopper’s mindset when approaching the challenge of climate change.

The Department of the Navy is actively adapting and innovating for the changing landscape of the world and indeed of warfare.

We refuse stagnation and have set out ambitious climate goals through the Department of the Navy Climate Action 2030 strategy, in line with Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.

To build a climate-ready force, we must meet two Performance Goals.

The first goal is building climate resilience.

We build climate resilience through installation resilience—by ensuring that our forces, systems, and facilities can continue to operate effectively and accomplish our mission in the face of changing climate conditions and worsening climate impacts.

Many of our military bases, including our Navy’s largest, Naval Station Norfolk, are fighting a constant battle against rising sea levels, often flooding after even light rain.

Less than two years ago, we broke ground on the first project to safeguard the Naval Academy from rising sea levels.

And just last week, we held a ribbon-cutting to mark the end of our work on the Farragut Seawall project—the first of many projects to fortify and protect the institution from extreme weather events.

Our goal, as outlined by our Naval Academy Installation Resiliency Plan, is for the institution to remain resilient through the 21st Century and beyond.

We are also developing solutions to climate issues through the Center for Energy Security and Infrastructure Resilience, or “CESIR.”

Established earlier this year, CESIR will equip our future Navy and Marine Corps Officers with the knowledge and skills to address complex climate challenges throughout their naval careers.

What’s more, the Department of the Navy is investing in climate resiliency through our facilities, including the renovation of Bancroft Hall—the largest academic dormitory in the United States and home to the entire Brigade of forty-four hundred Midshipmen.

Severe weather events have impacted the longevity of our buildings both inside and out, along with integral systems such as Bancroft Hall’s HVAC.

Given the criticality of our facilities to the mission of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and in developing our future warfighters, we must continue to invest in maintenance and improvement of our infrastructure.

And partnerships outside of the Department of the Navy are crucial to creating climate solutions.

In 2022, the Naval Postgraduate School partnered with the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability to address the urgent challenges of climate change, energy security, and sustainability.

Together, NPS and the Doerr School established an Education Partnership Agreement, combining the expertise of two globally recognized hubs of research and innovation to create practical solutions that our Navy and Nation can implement both now and in the future.

And the Department of the Navy is preparing for extreme weather events through integrated tabletop exercises and training events.

Two years ago, the Department of the Navy held our first Climate Action tabletop exercise at Marine Barracks Washington and have since held annual exercises dedicated to drive and share climate best practices.

In June of this year, we conducted Climate Action III with our Caribbean partners in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

This two-day event marked the third iteration in a series of exercises designed to validate our Climate Action 2030 strategy and highlight the value of partnerships to build shared resilience in a critical region.

Our Department, together with the DOD, other federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and our Caribbean partners, shared expertise and solutions to the destabilizing threats which know no borders.

The second goal of our Climate Action strategy is reducing climate threat.

This includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions and drawing greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, stabilizing ecosystems, and achieving the Nation’s commitment to net-zero emissions.

And throughout the country, the Department of the Navy is leading Department of Defense efforts in reducing climate threats.

In 2022, Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany became an electrically “Net Zero” base, crucially becoming the first Department of Defense installation to attain this significant milestone.

Achieving this “Net Zero” breakthrough not only combats climate change by alleviating energy security concerns, but it also improves the base’s overall resilience and saves taxpayer dollars.

We cannot tackle the climate threat alone. The Department of the Navy has facilitated strategic partnerships to tackle energy resilience issues.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar partnered with the city of San Diego to use biogas generated from an on-base landfill as a renewable energy source.

This initiative provided over three megawatts of energy to the installation, reducing reliance on the city’s electric grid by a whopping 45% and reducing overall emissions.

The Department is also leveraging public and private innovation in the climate and energy resilience sectors through NavalX Tech Bridges and business accelerators.

Tech Bridges attract small and medium businesses using innovation challenges, and recent challenges are supporting maritime supply chain and “blue tech” opportunities.

These partnerships between the Department of the Navy and outside business foster innovation and encourage the development of new technologies for climate adaptation.

To remain competitive in today’s age of conflict, we must leverage every advantage available to us—and that especially includes our partners in business and industry.

Closing

The future of climate resilience is here.

We know the future impacts of climate change and it is both within our capabilities and incumbent upon us to act—and we have.

Climate resilience is force resilience. We must look beyond normal operations and approach solutions to climate change through the lens of innovation.

As Admiral Hopper said, “Our young people are the future. We must provide for them.”

To do so, we must continue innovating and modernizing for the threats of today and of tomorrow.

I thank all of you for being here today, to gather, discuss, and create solutions for a more climate resilient future.

Although climate change is already impacting our world in significant ways, I am heartened by the discussions today, the important work all of you have begun, and the innovation that will come from our collaboration.

Thank you for tackling this challenge—we need our best and brightest involved in the search for climate solutions.

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