Source: United States Navy
Well, thank you, Pete. And again, thank you to you and your team for hosting the 25th International Seapower Symposium. Good morning, everyone. And what a beautiful Newport morning it is. It’s just great to be here with all of you. And it was so enjoyable last night to see you at Rosecliff and to have a chance to start – to build on – our friendship and the great opportunities we have this week.
Ambassador Kennedy, Secretary Del Toro, Administrator Phillips, Commandant Fagan, General Smith, fellow heads of the navy and coast guards, and your spouses, U.S. Navy team, ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor to welcome you to Newport for this 25th International Seapower Symposium. Thank you for being here. Thank you for traveling such long distances. And thank you for investing your time in building and strengthening relationships with your fellow leaders. You enrich this symposium with your presence this week, and I am deeply grateful for your participation.
This is an extraordinary gathering, with almost 100 countries represented, nearly two-thirds of the world’s maritime nations.
I can only begin to express how important each of you is to the United States Navy, and to me personally.
I look forward to hearing from every one of you, and I know we will all benefit from the unique perspective and insight that each of you brings. This most certainly includes the spouses who are here today. You play such an important role. Maritime service is a team effort, and not just this week, but every single day. You are the core of our maritime community and I thank you for all of your support, for all that you do to help us increase readiness, and for all you do to strengthen relationships around the world.
So I’d like this moment to have a round of applause for all our spouses who are here today as well as those who could not be with us.
Ladies and gentlemen, since we last gathered here in Newport two years ago, our world has changed. The global pandemic still casts its shadow on our economies, our communities, and our families. We have all experienced the devastation of natural forces intensified by the changing climate, from flooding to droughts, cyclones, and rising seas.
We are all witness to the violence of war, which has exposed the tenuousness of peace. These and other shocks have demonstrated that the interdependencies of the global system offer critical opportunities for collaboration across the maritime domain.
In a world that grows simultaneously more interconnected and fragile, the maritime domain has taken on an even greater importance. For all of our nations, our safety, our security, and our prosperity are tied to the oceans.
Every Navy and Coast Guard represented here contributes to the stability of the global maritime commons. Whether you are countering drug trafficking, human smuggling, illicit weapons transfers, illegal and unregulated fishing or piracy, policing territorial waters, delivering humanitarian aid, food, or medicine to people in need, assisting mariners stranded at sea, escorting cargo transports or tankers, or deploying forces forward, each nation here is a vital link in the chain that forms the global maritime security network.
I believe that with increased cooperation, we can do even more to mitigate risk, enhance security, and strengthen resilience not just within our own nations, but across the international community. And that’s why we’re here this week, to identify challenges and opportunities to collaborate on creative solutions.
With this goal in mind, the ISS program is designed to facilitate discussions on some of our most pressing issues. During these sessions, and in your engagements during the breaks and our social events, I encourage you to share your perspectives, your insights, and your ideas.
With open minds, we can all learn from each other. Of course, this week is also intended to strengthen our personal and professional connections in an environment where we can talk with one another as peers and as friends.
We enjoy a unique bond by leaders shaped by life at sea. It’s a bond shared by sailors throughout history. We know the smell of the salt air, the sight of a storm cloud on the horizon, and the feeling of the deck swaying beneath our feet.
Navies understand each other in ways that other military services do not. We are all forged by the sea.
Because of this shared experience, I am confident that we can find unity of purpose. I am confident that we can act with courage and conviction. And I am confident that we are stronger together.
And as we work in partnership, you will have no more trusted friend than the United States Navy.