Good morning, everyone!

It is an honor to be with you here today at the Naval Academy for the groundbreaking ceremony of the long overdue renovations to Bancroft Hall, named in honor of this school's founder and the 17th Secretary of the Navy, George Bancroft.

Assistant Secretary Berger, thank you for being here today, and for your leadership as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and the Environment. The work you accomplish every day is critical to supporting our Sailors, Marines, and future warfighters here at the Naval Academy.

Vice Admiral Davids, thank you for your leadership of the future officers of our Navy and Marine Corps, and for your commitment to prioritizing the infrastructure which supports our education enterprise.

Mayor Buckley, thank you for being here today, for your service and leadership of the City of Annapolis, and for your unwavering support of our Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy.

County Executive Pittman, we share the values of a more sustainable and secure energy future, and I thank you for your continued partnership and service to Anne Arundel County.

And I know we could not be here today without the detailed planning and heavy lift of so many of our outside partners, those who have realized this plan from its inception two years ago.

Captain Schwarz, the interdependence between the Naval Support Activity and the Naval Academy is on full display today. Thank you for your leadership and guidance of NSA Annapolis.

To all of our flag and general officers, distinguished guests, Navy and Marine Corps leaders, and Naval Academy faculty: welcome and thank you for joining us to celebrate the groundbreaking and beginning of our Bancroft Hall renovations.

Enduring Priorities

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

My priority of Strengthening Maritime Dominance centers on ensuring our people have the best infrastructure, equipment, and technology available, so that, if called, we may fight and decisively win our Nation's wars.

Strengthening maritime dominance also crucially encompasses adapting to our current and future threats-including climate change, a national security threat which jeopardizes the operational readiness of our Navy and Marine Corps.

My priority of Building a Culture of Warfighting Excellence is focused on taking care of people.

Because our people-Sailors, Marines, civilians, and Midshipmen alike-provide the foundational strength for this Department.

In order to accomplish their mission, our Midshipmen require adequate facilities to train, learn, and grow.

And the Department of the Navy is forward-looking and focused on the challenges which lie ahead.

Building a Climate-Ready Force

We have created the foundation and guidelines by which we are building a climate-ready, warfighting force through Climate Action 2030 and the Naval Academy's Installation Resilience Plan.

Here at the Naval Academy, we are developing solutions to climate issues through the Center for Energy Security and Infrastructure Resilience, or "CESIR" [SEE-zuhr].

Established earlier this year, CESIR will equip Midshipmen with the knowledge and skills to address complex climate challenges throughout their naval careers.

What's more, we are investing in the climate resiliency of our facilities, to include this renovation of Bancroft Hall.

As the center of Midshipman life-the building in which our over four thousand future Navy and Marine Corps Officers sleep and study, Bancroft Hall is a symbol of the Naval Academy as a whole.

The bonds of camaraderie among our Midshipmen are forged here at Bancroft Hall, creating lifelong friendships and shaping our young Americans into the warfighting leaders our Navy and Marine Corps Team needs.

However, severe weather events have impacted the longevity of our buildings both inside and out.

Given the criticality of Bancroft Hall to the mission of the United States Naval Academy in developing the future warfighters of our Fleet and our Force, we must continue to invest in its maintenance and improvement.

As I have said before, our people are our greatest strength, and force readiness and resilience begin and end with them.

This critical investment in our infrastructure is inextricably connected to our mission readiness here at the Naval Academy.

Despite the tremendous scale and consequences of climate change, we possess both the means and opportunity to address them, and I am proud to stand here today as we embark on the beginning of this necessary infrastructure investment for our Midshipmen.

Closing

I thank all of you once more for joining us today, to celebrate the groundbreaking of our Bancroft Hall renovation efforts, the first step in reducing the threat posed by the world's changing climate to our personnel, platforms, systems, and installations.

It is my sincere hope that our actions today spur collective action throughout the Department of Defense, the Nation, and indeed the world.

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

Thank you.

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