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- Sailors and Marines, the 
Commandant here with the CNO.

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- Last week, the Commandant and I

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signed a joint memorandum of understanding

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that clearly defines readiness levels

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and the availability of our amphibious warships.

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Simply put, this means our

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Navy-Marine Corps team will now share a

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common understanding on when our amphibs

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are ready to support operations and training.

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- This is an important step

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because we've always used different metrics

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when talking about amphibs.

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That didn't make sense to us.

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So we put it into writing so that we

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could speak with one voice on our amphibs.

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- [Franchetti] And this will ensure consistency

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and uniformity in amphibious force planning,

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assessment and mission execution,

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ensuring simpler data reporting

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to our senior leaders and to Congress.

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- [Smith] We both agreed the categories
should be simple, and they are.

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There are now two broad
categories for amphib readiness:

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available and not available.

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Available ships are those capable of

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supporting operations and training.

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Not available ships are subcategorized

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as those entering emergency maintenance,

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planned CNO maintenance availabilities,

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newly delivered ships that are conducting

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post-delivery testing and trials,

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and ships conducting pre-decommissioning activities.

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- [Franchetti] The Commandant 
and I have locked shields

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on the way forward for our amphibious force

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and we could not be more proud
of our Sailors and Marines

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serving around the world every day.

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The ARG/MEU team remains the centerpiece

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of our Naval expeditionary warfare presence,

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forcible entry and sea-basing capabilities.

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What you do makes a difference every day.

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You ensure our Naval forces

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remain the world's most powerful,

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always standing ready to preserve the peace,

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respond in crisis,

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and win decisively in war if called to do so.

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We are humbled to serve with
each and every one of you.

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- One team, one fight.

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- [Both] Semper fidelis.