Month: October 2024

Source: United States Navy

Good afternoon, everyone! 

Rear Admiral Garvin, thank you for that kind introduction, and thank you for your leadership and stewardship of the Naval War College over the past 14 months. 

We look forward to your change of command tomorrow with Rear Admiral Walker as you prepare to transition to Washington, D.C. to serve as the next president of the National Defense University.

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, it is an absolute pleasure to be with you this afternoon to honor Dr. John B. Hattendorf—a legend here at the War College and a titan in the study of maritime history.

And I would like to extend an especially warm welcome to Dr. Hattendorf’s daughters—Kristina, Ingrid, and Anna, his grandchildren, and close friends who are here with us today.

For sixty years, Professor Hattendorf has served our Navy and our Nation. As a Surface Warfare Officer during the Vietnam War, he sailed throughout the Indo-Pacific, experiencing both the joys and hardships of life at-sea.

During his shore duty tours on the Navy Staff in the Naval History Division and as the speechwriter and research assistant to the President of the Naval War College, he gained a deep appreciation for those who served before him, examining the challenges they faced and decisions they made.

After earning his doctorate in history from the University of Oxford, Professor Hattendorf returned to NWC to serve as a civilian faculty member, teaching courses ranging from strategy and policy to maritime history to generations of naval leaders from around the globe.

And throughout his tenure at the Naval War College, he served as a visiting academic at institutions across the world, including Singapore, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

With dozens of publications to his name, one need not look far to find Professor Hattendorf’s works, or witness the influence he has had on the debates surrounding the global maritime challenges we face today.

He studied British and American naval strategies, brilliantly and eloquently capturing their respective evolutions over hundreds of years.

He brought to life the stories of our world’s greatest naval thinkers and leaders, including Sir Julian Corbett, Admiral Lord Nelson, Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce, and Alfred Thayer Mahan.

Rumors are that he knew some of these other legends personally!

More recently, he’s chronicled the history of Newport, Rhode Island and the growth of the Naval War College—reinforcing that Newport is indeed a “Navy Town.”

And while this portrait is an important recognition of his contributions to and impact on the Newport and Naval War College communities, his true legacy is the generations of NWC graduates around the world who studied under him, including myself.

As a former student of Professor Hattendorf during my time at the Naval War College almost three decades ago, I can say that he had a profound impact on both my career and my life.

In 1996, he taught Lieutenant Commander Del Toro to appreciate our country’s history as a maritime nation, to think strategically as a leader, and to learn from the decisions of those who went before me.

As the then-director of the Advanced Research Department and Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History, he served as one of my three thesis advisors, along with Dr. Robert Wood and Dr. Steven Fought.

As I wrote my thesis, titled “Congressional Budget Committees and Their Impact on the Department of Defense”—which I will highlight has been described by my staff as a “page-turner”—Professor Hattendorf was instrumental in guiding my examination of the evolution of our Nation’s federal budget process, showing me how to use history as the foundation for well-crafted arguments and thoughtful recommendations.

And when I delivered my speech last fall at Harvard University calling for a new approach to our National Maritime Statecraft, the lessons I learned from Professor Hattendorf were not far from my mind.

During my speech, I stated that, “It is my steadfast belief that we will only be successful in developing a new, national approach to maritime statecraft with the support of military and civilian leaders who are well-versed in our nation’s maritime history, for the challenges we face today are eerily similar to the ones we have faced in the past.”

For 50 years, Professor Hattendorf has worked to educate civilian and military leaders across the globe on matters relating to maritime history, shaping our approaches to tackling the challenges of today, and demonstrating—through his works—that victory is indeed achieved by seapower.

Professor Hattendorf, sir, your passion for history and love for education has transformed so many lives.

Our Navy, our Nation, and indeed our world are better off because of your service to others, and we are proud to be a part of your enduring legacy.

May this portrait forever serve as a reminder to future generations of Naval War College students of your dedication to this college, your relentless pursuit of knowledge, and the thousands of lives you have influenced.

May God bless the Hattendorf family, and may God continue to grant our Nation with fair winds and following seas.

Thank you.

Source: United States Navy

Good morning, everyone!

It is an honor to be here with you this morning on this mighty warship to celebrate the service of Lieutenant General Cavanaugh, and welcome Lieutenant General Shea as she assumes command of U.S. Marine Forces Command, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, and Marine Forces Northern Command.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Lieutenant General Cavanaugh’s family and friends here with us today.

To Lieutenant General Cavanaugh’s wife, Shery, thank you for your dedication and all you have sacrificed on behalf of the Marine Corps and your husband. Congratulations on your upcoming 29th anniversary this month!

Thank you, Mrs. Evelyn Cavanaugh, for raising an incredible son who dedicated his life to service of our Nation.

And to Brian, thank you for your support throughout your father’s distinguished career.

I also want to welcome and thank Lieutenant General Shea’s family for being here.

To Lieutenant General Shea’s husband Lieutenant Colonel Nick Slavik, thank you for your service in the Marine Corps and unwavering support of your wife throughout both of your impressive careers.

Christine and Hillari, it is wonderful to have you here in celebration of your sister and aunt.

As we all know, families truly are the backbone of our armed forces, and I was blessed to have the support of my wife Betty and our sons throughout my career in the Navy and now.

Justice Willet, thank you for being here today and for your career of public service.

Representative Kiggans, welcome, and thank you for your support of our service members and Veterans in the House Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs Committees, along with your work within Virginia’s Second District.

Mayor Dyer, thank you for your service in the Marine Corps and service to the city of Virginia Beach.

General Berger, thank you for your lifetime of service to the men and women of our Marine Corps.

I welcome former NASA Administrator and Major General Bolden—sir, thank you for being here today, for your leadership of NASA and the Marine Corps.

General Smith, thank you for being here and for your leadership and guidance of our United States Marine Corps.

I’m grateful to see Trish here as well, the ship sponsor of the future USS Helmand Province (LHA-10).

Admiral Caudle, thank you for your service and leadership of US Fleet Forces.

Sergeant Major Ruiz, it is wonderful to have you here today—thank you for your mentorship of our Marines and the Corps.

To all of our general officers, flag officers, senior enlisted leaders, distinguished visitors, guests, family, and friends: welcome, and thank you for joining us for this ceremony.

I am humbled and honored to be a part of this momentous occasion today—the changing of command and responsibility from one Commanding General to another.

World Today/MARFORCOM Accomplishments

As you have seen and read in the news, we face tremendous uncertainty in the world today.

Just as our Marines and Sailors demonstrated unparalleled courage at the Battle of Iwo Jima, they must also lead at the tip of the spear against the existential threats facing our nation worldwide.

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

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

In the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, we are working alongside our NATO allies and Middle East Partners to ensure the safety of innocent, civilian mariners and protecting our commercial shipping against Iranian-aligned Houthi attacks.

Immediately following the October 7th attacks in Israel, our Navy-Marine Corps Team was on station, the ready integrated force the world needed.

And the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit crucially operated in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation, ensuring the free flow of maritime traffic and stability in the region.

In February, NATO assumed command of United States and British Forces in the Eastern Mediterranean. Naval Striking Forces NATO executed a Transfer of Authority, assuming command of the Sailors and Marines assigned to the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, including USS Mesa Verde, USS Arleigh Burke, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary Argus.

In March, it was my honor and privilege to welcome home the more than 4,000 Marines and Sailors of Bataan ARG when they returned from eight and a half months deployed.

Their return to homeport underscored the profound sacrifices made by our service members, offered freely in defense of our Nation.

And our Marines remain a ready presence at any clime and place.

In June, the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group with the 24th MEU departed the East Coast and are on station today in the Mediterranean.

Alongside nineteen other NATO Allies, they participated in the 53rd and largest iteration of Exercise BALTOPS 2024.

This exercise provided an opportunity to enhance joint operations and demonstrated a commitment to preserving peace in the region.

And these joint training exercises are essential, because the threats we face today require tremendous interoperability, flexibility, and modernization.

General Cavanaugh’s leadership of Marine Forces Command has been instrumental in implementing Force Design, ensuring our Marines’ ability to fight and win in the future operating environment.

Last August, the Marine Corps and Navy executed Large Scale Exercise 2023, the third and most complex iteration of the exercise which included more than 25,000 Marines and Sailors around the world.

LSE 23 was a Live, Virtual, and Constructive exercise which spanned across 22 time zones and included six Carrier Strike Groups, six Amphibious Ready Groups, and 75 live and virtual ships.

It pushed the envelope of real world and synthetic training, both ensuring our Force’s ability to jointly operate and validating Distributed Maritime Operations capabilities.

Throughout the exercise, Lieutenant General Cavanaugh served as Admiral Caudle’s Deputy Joint Force Maritime Component Commander and is likely the only Marine Officer who can say he issued orders directly to a submarine!

I thank Lieutenant General Cavanaugh not only for his tactical prowess and vision to strengthen our maritime dominance, but also for his leadership philosophy and incredible dedication to his people.

Throughout his career and especially during his time as Commanding General, he fully understood that people are the true strength of our Marine Corps and Navy, and indeed our Nation, and that our people provide us the greatest advantage over our adversaries.

Lieutenant General Cavanaugh, I am confident that the legacy you leave behind—through the success of this command and those you have mentored and led along the way—will continue to serve our Marine Corps and country well into the future.

Because of you, the future of MARFORCOM is bright, though it will not be without its challenges.

And I know Lieutenant General Shea is ready to meet each and every one of them.

Lieutenant General Shea, I know you are ready, because I have seen you in action, leading the Marine Corps Office of Legislative Affairs.

It was an honor to work with you in the Pentagon, and I thank you for your dedication and service in support of our Navy-Marine Corps Team.

I look forward to hearing about Marine Forces Command’s many successes during your tenure—and I know there will be many.

Closing

I thank you all once again for this opportunity to speak at this incredible event.

Lieutenant General Cavanaugh, thank you for your exceptional service to the United States Marine Corps and our grateful Nation. I wish you a wonderful retirement and hope you have more time to enjoy the Orioles and Ravens with your family—though I am sure you already have season tickets for the Diamondbacks and Cardinals lined up!

And Lieutenant General Shea, I wish you the best of luck and know these Marines are in good hands.

May God bless our Marines, Sailors, civilians, and their families with fair winds and following seas.

Thank you.