CNO Navy 250 Gala Keynote Speech

Good evening, everyone! Thank you Sal for that warm introduction.

Before I get started, let me be the first to say, happy 250^th birthday Navy!

Governor Shapiro, Members of Congress, Former Secretaries of the Navy, Mayor Parker, Under Secretary Cao, Flag and General Officers, MCPON Perryman, Foreign Heads of Navy, active and reserve servicemembers of our armed forces, civilians, veterans, families and friends, it's an honor to be in the presence of such a distinguished group of leaders.

And what an extraordinary evening this is to celebrate our Navy's 250^th Birthday in the place where it all began, in the Cradle of Liberty and the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mayor Parker, my thanks to you and your team for being world-class hosts and for allowing our Navy to proudly "man the rails" of your city.

As a native of North Carolina, I'm not entirely sure I understand what all the hype is around cheesesteaks and Wawa, but mark my words, something tells me that 250 years from now, historians will be debating whether the real birthplace of democracy was Independence Hall or the Wawa on Chestnut Street down the road.

Jeff, to you and your entire staff, thank you for allowing us to celebrate our Navy's birthday in such a significant space, America's very own town hall, the National Constitution Center.

Just steps from Independence and Congress Hall, these hallowed grounds carry with it the weight of our Nation's legacy the place where our independence was declared, the Constitution signed, and the birthplace of the world's most preeminent fighting force, the United States Navy.

And although it wasn't ratified until after the revolution, the ideas carried forth in the Constitution, our governing body of work, were born from the sage council and wisdom of our founding fathers and the thousands of freedom fighters who believed that "We the People" are the arbiters of our fate.

And it was 250 years ago, at the urging of George Washington, that our Continental Navy was born.

A fledgling fleet of schooners, sloops, and stolen merchant ships, Washington's Navy set sail under no guarantee of success but every assurance of purpose.

Small in size, but indomitable in spirit, our Sailors got to work, delivering our Nation with its first measure of novice yet hardened naval power - harassing British forces, disrupting their reinforcements, and protecting colonial trade.

Throughout the war, the city of Philadelphia was instrumental to the Continental Navy's success … it was the epicenter of our Congress who held the power of the purse and the burgeoning foundry that forged our fleet and armed our Sailors to fight.

At Tun Tavern, John Adams and delegates from Massachusetts drafted the Articles of War, laying the legal foundation for our nascent maritime force.

On the banks of the Delaware River, our first commissioned ship, USS Alfred, was converted into a lethal man-of-war, brandishing 24-guns of awesome naval force.

And it was in the streets of Philadelphia where legendary figures like Commodore John Barry and John Paul Jones - the Fathers of our Navy, became early supporters of the patriotic cause.

From Jones' immortal words: "I have not yet begun to fight!"

To Barry's lifelong devotion to our newly formed Union, both men embodied the courage, spirit, and grit that defines our Navy today.

With their fleet of privateers and Washington's army of volunteers, they pieced together a ruthlessly intrepid force: rough around the edges and inexperienced in war, but firm in their convictions and valiant in their beliefs.

From that point on, there was no turning back. The Great American Experiment was truly underway, and with it, the brave new capital, which defined a revolution, the city that built ships, the city that shaped leaders, and the city that wrote our independence… the City of Philadelphia.

Two and a half centuries later, while the world remains a vastly different place, the global security environment shifting, the character of war changing, and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies converging, our Navy has remained constant - unabated in our mission, faithfully present for our nation, and resolute in our resolve.

We have been there for our nation every step of the way, the War of 1812, the Spanish American War, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the War on Terror, the list goes on.

The fact of the matter is this, no other Navy in the world can do what we do.

Whether it's amphibious operations, strategic deterrence, special operations, or terminal defense, we remain postured and ready to defend our homeland, and if called upon, strike our enemies down - anywhere, anytime.

And it's the differentiated value of our naval forces: expeditionary capabilities, extraordinary mobility, speed, and timing, enabled by the hundreds and thousands of courageous Sailors who have fought and died for our democracy, that we celebrate tonight.

As the Chief of Naval Operations and uniformed leader of our Navy, I feel the centuries long weight of responsibility to ensure that our Navy continues to remain the most lethal and globally present maritime fighting force in the world.

But in that responsibility, there's tremendous opportunity. Over the course of my tenure, I will stop at nothing until we can bring to bear the Navy the Nation Needs, an all-domain fleet that's not only lethal and survivable, but adaptable and sustainable too.

Because, as long as I'm at the helm, I will do anything, and everything in my power to ensure we never enter a fair fight and that our country will never lose.

Which is why I'm laser focused on three interlocking priorities: The Foundry, the Fleet, and the way we Fight.

Underpinned by our world-class Sailors, civilians, and their families - our Main Weapons System and the linchpin of our steel chain - we will chart our course for the future.

Built in the Foundry, tempered in the Fleet, and Forged to Fight … these are more than words, they're the legacy of our past, the strength of our present, and the promise of our Navy's future.

The Foundry is the engine that drives our warfighting advantage - taking raw inputs and forging them into lethal outputs.

From new ship construction and depot-level repair to exquisite munitions production and the piers, airfields, and facilities from which we launch the Fleet - the Foundry underwrites our combat credibility.

It's where people, material, and Infrastructure come together to build, sustain, and force generate our naval power.

Under the Naval Act of 1794, at Philadelphia's historic Southwark Yard, the first of our six original frigates, the USS United States, was bent into shape - sailing faster, tougher, and stronger than any other ship afloat.

In 1939, as the Nazis stormed into Poland and our Nation prepared for the worst, the American Foundry was ready to clutch into work - citizens from all walks of life, Fathers, sons, mothers, and daughters contributed to the cause.

At the Philadelphia Shipyard, the keel of our most decorated battleship, the USS New Jersey, was hammered into place - her hull welded together by none other than Secretary of the Navy Charles Edison, the son of Thomas Edison who harnessed electricity into light.

Between 1939 and 1946, over 40,000 Philadelphians laid steel across these yards. They were not just building ships - they were forging the arsenal of our democracy.

Tonight, our Foundry must evolve once again.

We can no longer rely on steel beams, rivets, and molds, it must transform to modernized factories, dual-use shipyards, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and more.

As Alfred Thayer Mahan once wrote: "Whoever rules the waves rules the world" … and if we want to remain a superpower, we must continue to invest in our seapower … and let me tell you, our Nation is beginning to wake up to this reality.

Recent investments across the industrial base, including the Philadelphia Yard, underscore an undeniable truth - that naval power is our Nation's power … and the fires of the Foundry are roaring back to life.

Like the Foundry, the Fleet is America's story of growing global reach.

Comprised of world-class people, platforms, and the payloads they employ … the Fleet is our Nation's most decisive instrument of power.

From wooden ships with canvas sails to iron clads warships, battleships, and our nuclear-powered Fleet … our Navy remains our surest guaranty of peace.

We create space for diplomacy to work and provide the insurance policy if it fails.

And tonight, much like we did in the Cold War, we stand sentinel to a new era of naval warfare, the proliferation of disruptive technologies beginning to take hold and sharpening our blade across all domains.

From the 1950s to the early 1990s, our total force of Sailors, civilians, artisans, and engineers built the largest modernized Fleet the world has ever known, a 600-Ship Navy of Ohio-class Submarines, Nimitz-class Aircraft Carriers, Aegis enabled destroyers, sonar and radar technology, as well as unmatched stealth capabilities.

Across every conflict, battle, and crisis … in peacetime and in war, the United States Navy has sailed at the forefront of our Nation's defense.

With the advent of modern technologies: hypersonic missiles, unmanned-enabled platforms, and directed energy weapons, we will asymmetrically "hedge" these capabilities at the speed of emerging threats.

Because at the end of the day, fighting on behalf of our Nation is what we exist to do.

For 250 years, from seabed to space, we have fought on the razor's edge of lethality, delivering a preponderance of violence to confuse, confound and dominate our enemies.

In World War II at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, our Sailors, aviators, and combined forces destroyed the Imperial Japanese Navy for good, disparaging their ability to ever wage war and paving the way for General MacArthur to take back the Philippines.

And, last year, during the Fight for the Red Sea, our team of Sailors and allies lived continuously in the precipice of battle - striking down hundreds of drones and missiles and defeating a variety of complex threats … proving that with our Allies and partners alongside us, we will never fight alone.

But, the way we fight today, cannot be the way we fight tomorrow. We must design a future fleet that endures through the next generation of war - a fleet composed of robust general-purpose combatants integrated tightly with asymmetric offsets that serve as tailorable hedge forces.

Because the world always gets a vote, and when our adversary's ballots are cast, we will be the arbiters of our fate.

As I begin to close, let me end with this: in the streets of this city, a group of patriots chose to challenge the world order with nothing but a bold idea, the clothes on their backs, and a make-shift Fleet.

With no promise of certainty and everything to lose, America hedged their bets on an untried Navy. All they needed was a chance … and our Sailors took care of the rest.

From the ramparts of the Revolution and the trenches of the Atlantic to the islands of the Pacific and beaches off foreign shores, a global force for good was born - one that for 250 years would sail in defense our homeland, protect our national security interests, and preserve our way of life.

So tonight, let us remember that our Navy is more than the sum of ships, platforms, and munitions … it's the product of our battle-hardened Sailors who were forged by the seas.

To all of you here tonight, to our Sailor's deployed far away from home, to our heroic veterans - past and present, and to the courageous men and women who will carry our legacy forward … you are the heirs to this remarkable journey.

The oceans will forever remain our Home and our fleet the herald of freedom.

Happy 250^th Birthday Navy! Tonight, this celebration is for you.

God bless our Sailors and their families and may God bless the United States of America.

Thank you