Introduction

Good morning, everyone!

It is wonderful to be here with you today for this special occasion, at Farragut Seawall, named after our Nation’s first Admiral and our Navy’s first prominent Hispanic leader.

Assistant Secretary Berger, thank you for your leadership as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and the Environment. The work you do every day is crucially important for the readiness of our Sailors, Marines, and Midshipmen.

Vice Admiral Davids, thank you for your leadership of the Naval Academy and of the future leaders of our Navy and Marine Corps.

To all of our distinguished guests, Navy and Marine Corps leaders, Naval Academy faculty, and those who laid the groundwork to get us to where we are today: welcome and thank you for joining us to celebrate the ribbon-cutting for the newly fortified Farragut Seawall.

Enduring Priorities

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

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 my priority of Building a Culture of Warfighting Excellence concerns taking care of people.

Our people—our Midshipmen—are our greatest strength, and force readiness begins and ends with them.

And just as our people all around the world deserve robust infrastructure to work, sleep, and study, they also deserve protection from external threats caused by one of the most destabilizing forces of our time.

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

Building a Climate-Ready Force

In September 2003, Hurricane Isabel battered the Atlantic Coast.

And the category five hurricane did not spare the Naval Academy or our future warfighters here.

The rising water flooded classrooms and damaged buildings—the devastation is evident in photos depicting classroom doors barely peeking above the floodwaters and buildings around the Yard partially submerged.

The damage resulted in disruptions to classes and normal operations for our Brigade of Midshipmen, along with over one hundred million dollars’ worth of repairs.

And since Hurricane Isabel made landfall twenty years ago, our world today has continued to face increasingly unpredictable and devasting weather phenomenon.

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

We have set out ambitious goals which we accomplish through installation resilience—by ensuring that our people, systems, and facilities can continue to operate effectively and accomplish our mission in the face of worsening climate impacts.

Less than two years ago, we held a ceremony here to break ground on the first project to safeguard the Naval Academy from rising sea levels.

Our efforts today will significantly enhance the development of our future Navy and Marine Corps leaders, enabling them to learn, grow, and thrive with minimal disruption.

For the sake of force resilience and our people, we must continue looking over the horizon towards future challenges, finding new ways to innovate and modernize our Force.

May the success of the Farragut Seawall project illuminate the path for future climate resilience initiatives.

Closing

I thank all of you for being here today, to celebrate this momentous occasion and the Department of the Navy’s commitment to our future Navy and Marine Corps Officers.

I look forward to the enduring success of my alma mater as the difficult task of shaping warfighters to face an uncertain future continues—from tomorrow to 2100 and beyond.

May God bless our Midshipmen, Sailors, Marines, and all who support them. Thank you.