Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Admiral Walker for the introduction. Senator Reed, Representative Cueller, Allies and partners, distinguished guests, faculty, staff, families, and, most importantly, the Class of 2025—it is truly an honor to be here today to celebrate our newest Naval War College graduates. I’d also like to recognize the parents, grandparents, family members, teachers, and friends who have all helped our graduates reach this moment. Today is your incredible achievement as well. Your sacrifices are seen and deeply appreciated. Thank you for all that you do.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my first commencement address as Secretary of the Navy. Sailors, Marines, teammates from across the Joint Force and the inter-agency, and Allies and partners from 63 Nations, I could not be more thrilled to address this incredible group of graduates here at the Department of Navy’s home of thought for over 140 years: the Naval War College. For the last year, each of you have studied history, strategy, tactics, and warfare and, more importantly, have made lasting relationships with your fellow graduates. You probably even read Clausewitz once or twice—hopefully at least once. For you Sailors and Marines, hopefully Mahan too. What you’ve been taught here is invaluable. Your experience at the Naval War College and what you learned here will allow you to make the best decisions when the stakes are the highest. It has made you better leaders. Now, it is time for you to go back to your respective billets and be the military leaders your country needs. 

Class of 2025, I believe one of the most important ways to influence the world is through the education of leaders. So, today I stand before you to discuss a critical challenge—and opportunity—one that defines the future of warfare: the rapid pace of innovation on the battlefield and the imperative for our future leaders to fully embrace the realities of employing these innovations and defending against them. We’ve all seen the headlines about drones, artificial intelligence, and autonomy shaping the conflict in Ukraine and in the Red Sea. These conflicts are redefining modern warfare in every domain—air, sea, and land. What’s more—and I want to anchor here—is the speed at which innovation in warfare is happening. Every day, warfighters, computer programmers, and the manufacturers alongside them are modifying, adapting, and improving drone capabilities to alter the tactics and the calculus of battlefield decisions. Welcome to the new era of warfare—an era you’re charged with leading in. Battlefield advantage now rests on how quickly one side can integrate emerging technologies, adapt tactics, and train their forces to operate in a constantly evolving environment.

Some of the key questions you will need to answer as leaders are: How will you lead and meet the demands of this new environment? Are you comfortable making the 65% or even the 30% success rate decision? As Rudyard Kipling said, are you ready to keep your head when all around you are losing theirs? How you answer these questions may be the difference between winning or losing.

Our Navy-Marine Corps team has been the dominant, unchallenged force for a long time. For a brief period, we were a superpower without any peer, providing a permissive environment for our Navy-Marine Corps team to fly, sail, and operate without risk to the force. That’s no longer the case. Unfortunately, that dominance has led to complacency and complacency is very costly in warfare. China is behaving more aggressively and provocatively and has embarked on the largest military build-up since the end of World War II. And, we have allowed our shipbuilding industry to erode, hollowing out the very capacity we need to maintain credible naval deterrence. Despite this, you should not worry. You should sleep well at night knowing that the United States Navy-Marine Corps team is the preeminent maritime force in the world. It is clear since the birth of our Nation: for one to be a superpower, one must be a seapower. Unfortunately, our adversaries are closing the gap at a concerning and accelerating rate. Ladies and gentlemen, we have work to do. And, we must do it with urgency. All of you here today need to help us with this change.

To address this new security environment, the Department of the Navy is returning to our seapower roots—to the core functions that our Founding Fathers envisioned at our Nation’s inception: homeland defense, sea control and sea denial, and keeping the sea lines of communication free and open for commerce. We must adapt to this new, complex, and highly contested environment. As Secretary of the Navy, I am committed to this. My north star is Readiness. I am focused on equipping our Sailors and Marines with the most advanced capabilities and platforms so that they remain the strongest and most lethal maritime force in the world. My goal is to ensure our Sailors and Marines have the unfair advantage—that the fight will always be unfair with the odds overwhelmingly in our favor. That when the President tell us to throw a punch, it’ll be a knockout. In order to achieve this, my three key priorities are: Strengthening shipbuilding and the maritime industry industrial base. Fostering an Adaptive, Accountable, and Innovative Warfighting Culture. And, ensuring the Health, Welfare, and Training of our People and their families. Focusing on these priorities will best prepare and ready our Navy-Marine Corps team to fight and win—anytime, anywhere, and against any adversary. We must rebuild, reform, and refocus on what matters—readiness, accountability, and deterrence—in order to execute President Trump’s mandate of peace through strength. This starts with you. While you are critical to each priority, you can have the greatest impact on that second one: Fostering an Adaptive, Accountable, and Innovative Warfighting Culture. Together, we must address a culture—one riddled with a zero-defect mentality, bureaucratic decision-making, risk aversion, and gold-plated requirements. You must be the champions of this culture shift. Because we can’t tackle the challenges that usually dominate the headlines like shipbuilding and ship repair if we don’t get the culture or the accountability right. Very little else will matter if the people you lead don’t embody the resiliency, ingenuity, and adaptability needed to transform the Force we have today to the Force we need to have for tomorrow.

Class of 2025, I talked about the changing character of war at the beginning of this speech. You will be leading your teams in this environment—an environment that will look different than the one you’ve studied and wargamed over the past year and different from the environment those before you have served in. Doug Zembiec, known as the “Lion of Fallujah,” once said, “The true measure of a leader is how they handle adversity—not when things are easy.” He demonstrated that true innovation begins with the courage to lead from the front. Each of you must do the same. We must modernize and change outdated practices—and I know they’re a lot of them out there. If you can’t fix them, email me and I’ll advocate for you. Each of you must also embrace agility and adaptability as core strengths for you and your teams. Rapid innovation is not just about new machines or software; it’s a mindset—a culture that values experimentation, tolerates calculated risk, and learns from failure faster than any competitor. From my observation, it’s not the one who lands the first blow that wins—it’s the one who can counter. You must anticipate the impact of new technologies, understand the speed of decision-making demanded by modern warfare, and cultivate the intellectual flexibility and freedom for every member of your team to produce solutions. This is a no fail mission. For my part, I will do what I can to remove bureaucracy, to remove the red tape, and to remove whatever constraints inhibit your ability to win. Because you deserve nothing less than the best from your leaders for willing to serve your Nation and wear your Nation’s cloth.  Let me be clear—rapid innovation alone will not guarantee victory. Our adversaries are also innovating. They are always watching us, testing us, and seeking to exploit our weaknesses. The core principles of warfare—disciplined execution, sound strategy, and decisive leadership—haven’t changed.  You may find yourself in a COMMs-denied or technology-denied environment. So, you better be able to navigate without GPS. If you’re a submariner, know how to read bathymetric maps. And, if you’re a SWO or Pilot, know how to navigate by the stars. Our challenge, then, is twofold: to innovate rapidly without losing sight of these enduring fundamentals. Future leaders must be fluent not only in the latest technologies but also in the art of war—how to maneuver forces, control terrain, coordinate fires, and inspire men and women to fight with honor, courage, and commitment. And, don’t ever forget the value of spending time and listening to your people.

Class of 2025, my final note to you is this—be bold. The lessons you have learned here—about strategy, leadership and warfighting—will serve as your foundation. Lean into the relationships, experiences, and education you’ve had here and lead—decisively, and without hesitation. Risk-taking is at the heart of the bold leadership we need. Without risk, innovation stalls. Without risk, growth is impossible. If you take smart calculated risks, I promise to have your back! I ask that each of you to embrace this kind of bold leadership because the stakes have never been higher. The Nation and our allies are counting on you to deliver strength, not just in principle, but in practice. The real test begins now. The world is watching. You are ready. Congratulations, and good luck. Thank you.