 Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready to give you thank you today for joining us for the keel laying of FFG 62, the future USS constellation and the lead ship of the constellation class of frigates for the United States Navy. My name is Mark Bandroff and I am the CEO of Fincantieri Marinette Marine and I am honored to be hosting today's event. Please rise for the arrival of the official party and please remain standing for the rendering of honors the presentation of colors our national anthem and invocation. Ladies and gentlemen our official party Monsignor James Dillenberg Keel laying chaplain Captain Joshua Fields United States Navy Executive Officer Supervisor of Ship Building Bath Captain Andy Gold United States Navy Constellation Class Program Manager Rear Admiral Kevin Smith United States Navy Program Executive Officer unmanned and small combatants Admiral Lisa Frankeady United States Navy 33rd Chief of Naval Operations the Honorable Carlos Del Toro 78th Secretary of the Navy the Honorable Tony Evers Governor of Wisconsin you can do what you want sir it's good you're good Mrs. Melissa Braithwaite our ship sponsor escorted by Mr. Marco Galbiotti CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group Navy Band Great Lakes will now render honors to the Honorable Tony Evers Governor of Wisconsin Color Guard advance the colors retire the colors Monsignor Dillenberg will now deliver the invocation. Creator God we ask your blessings on a new project designed to keep our world a little safer for people of good will. Frigates have sailed oceans for centuries but none quite like this one a building. In addition to speed like her predecessors she will be prepared for air anti submarine surface and electromagnetic maneuver warfare with much more enhanced radar and ages combat system a vertical launch system and more. This product project is the product of dreamers designers and builders we pause a moment to look toward you and remember that human intelligence is an expression of the dignity you endowed on humankind when you created us in your image and likeness. We appreciate that science and technology in particular manifests the fundamentally relational quality of human intelligence and so we ask your blessings on the endeavor known as FFG 62 that begins ceremonially today. Bless those who visualize this project as well as those employing their skills to assemble the various modules into a working vessel. And looking ahead we place those who will sail this future USS constellation under your protection. May their efforts and ours be in accordance with your will and vision for us. We ask these blessings of you our Lord and God. Amen. Thank you Monsignor ladies gentlemen please be seated. And if I could ask everyone to join me in a round of applause first for the Navy Band Great Lakes under the direction of Lieutenant Commander Christopher Cornette great job with the anthem and the honors our color guard today provided by the surface combat systems training command and a special thanks to Monsignor Dillenberg who has been supporting our keeling ceremonies for the last 13 years here in Marinette. On behalf of everyone who is involved with the building of the constellation class frigate I am honored to welcome everyone joining us in person and on live stream to the keeling of FFG 62 the future USS constellation. We are pleased to have you here to witness this important milestone in the life of the ship. There are many distinguished guests here that I would like to recognize today. Mr. Dario Deste President thinkantary Marine Group. The honorable Jim Doyle 44th governor of the state of Wisconsin. Vice Admiral Rick Hunt United States Navy retired President thinkantary Marinette Marine and Jan Almond Vice President General Manager thinkantary Bay Shipbuilding. We have several of our government partners here both past and present that I'd like to recognize first the honorable Kenneth Braceway the 77th Secretary of the Navy former US ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway and most importantly for today the husband of our ship sponsor. These names you feel like applauding for go right ahead. The honorable Nicholas Gerton Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research Development and Acquisition. Admiral James Fogo United States Navy retired Dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy. Vice Admiral Jim Downey United States Navy Commander Naval Sea Systems Command. Vice Admiral Dave Lewis United States Navy retired from Lido's Corporation. Ms. Kate Koyfer Majority Clerk of the Senate Appropriations Committee Defense Subcommittee. Ms. Jennifer Garner Northeast Wisconsin Regional Representative from the Office of the Honorable Tammy Baldwin. Mr. Mark Nielsen Veteran and Military Affairs Representative from the Office of the Honorable Ron Johnson. Ms. Aubrey Moore Upper Peninsula Regional Director from the Office of the Honorable Gary Peters. We have several of our state partners from both the state of Wisconsin and Michigan joining us today from the state of Wisconsin. The Honorable Amy Pajacek Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The Honorable Elijah Banky State Representative Wisconsin's 89th District. The Honorable Jeff Merceau State Representative of Wisconsin's 36th District. Ms. Jennifer Sereno Assistant Deputy Secretary Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development from the state government of the state of Michigan Major General Paul Rogers Adjutant General Michigan Army National Guard and Director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. The Honorable Ed McBroom State Senator Michigan's 38th Senatorial District. The Honorable Dave Preston State Representative of Michigan's 108th District. Ms. Susan Corbin Director Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. And Mr. Quinton Messer Jr. Director of Michigan Economic Development Corporation. From our local governments here in the Marinette Menominee area. The Honorable Steve Genesot Mayor of Marinette, Wisconsin. The Honorable Kathy Mulkey Mayor of Pestigo, Wisconsin. And the Honorable Casey Hoffman Mayor of Menominee, Michigan. From our namesake community. Mr. Steve Bountress Executive Director Historic Ships in Baltimore. Home of the Museum Ship USS Constellation. And I will depart from my script for a moment to say I have been on that museum many times. And if any of you find yourself in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, it is well worth the trip. So as we celebrate our nation's newest warship, we are honored to have with us representatives of the first and oldest ship in the United States Navy. Please join me in welcoming crew members from the USS Constitution, Old Ironsides. Command Senior Chief Nicholas Albany's. Chief Boson's made Chris Robo and Aviation Technician Second Class Julian Headin. And they are joined today by Mr. Brian Miskal, representing the USS Constitution Museum. Representing our Union workforce. Junior Bone, International Representative from the Boilermakers. And John Christensen, President Boilmaker's local 696 here in Marinette. And I think you're going to hear this a lot, but let me add and go off script, right? The men and women who do the hard work of the trades here in Marinette, they're what make it happen. So thank you to the Boilermakers, every single one of you. And one of those trade workers, a special representative, Ms. Jean, Mrs. Jean Wagner, our ceremonial welder who has been with think cantering Marinette Marine for 22 years, and will be the first female welder in our company's history to be a keel plate welder. So thank you, Jean, for being here. Beyond the significance that comes with every keel laying ceremony, today's event is even more noteworthy because we're celebrating the first in class of the next generation of frigates. The laying of the keel is the first milestone in the history of each vessel. Today, our sponsor, Melissa Braithwaite, will commemorate this important event by signing her initials on a steel plate that will be welded into the ship. The keel block that she authenticates today will be combined with 33 other grand module components to create a fast, agile surface combatant that is very befitting of the name USS Constellation. Mrs. Braithwaite's husband, the honorable Kenneth Braithwaite, when serving as Secretary of the Navy named this ship after one of our nation's first naval vessels. The ship comes from one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy put into service shortly after the Revolutionary War. President George Washington personally selected the name Constellation, citing the constellation of stars that adorn our United States flag as his inspiration. Former Secretary Braithwaite in choosing this name wanted to recapture the Navy pride and culture that that first USS Constellation represented. The milestone today is a testament to that pride, not only for the sailors who will serve on earth, but the proud men and women who will build her here at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, as well as our sister yards Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay and Fincantieri Ace Marine in Green Bay. I would now like to introduce our first speaker, Mr. Mako Galbiotti, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri Marine Group. Thank you. Thank you. Mark welcomed us, but it's too humble to mention that we are here today inarguably, America's cleanest and most modern shipyard. Mark, to you and the FMM team, thank you. The yacht looks great. And I believe it looks this way for three reasons. First, we, Fincantieri, have a rock-solid commitment to the Navy. Your mission is so important. So our work every day will continue to mirror that commitment. This includes the work of our Constellation partners and suppliers. It has been said that shipbuilding is a team sport. Thankfully, with our union, our local communities, the state of Wisconsin, Michigan, our related officials in Congress and the Navy, of course. All partners of this important program. And this partnership stands beyond the United States. If I may, I would like to recognize the head of Fincantieri's Naval Division, Dario Deste, who is here with us today. I know that the Frigate Program is very important to you and for our entire company. So, thank you for being here, Dario. Thank you. This brings me to a second point. Fincantieri has made significant investment here. Since 2009, we put more than half a billion dollars into our facilities in support of the Navy and the U.S. defense industrial base. It's more than new climate control building and the latest technology like robotic welding machines. Our investments have been timely and important, especially as the Navy grows their fleet, both in men and unmanned vessels. The state of Wisconsin and the federal government have worked with us on grants aimed at workforce development, infrastructure, and hardware improvements. We appreciate this effort and we understand that a single job in Marinette means a secondary job throughout the region. These facilities are nicely important, but nothing is more important than our people. Our people are the final reason that this shipyard has been transformed again. In all what we do, our people are the difference. As the newest major player in the often-neglected American shipbuilding market, we are blessed with many legacy builders. Generations of families who have followed the realtors to work in this yard. Together, more than 1,300 vessels of all kinds have been built here by many our working people. Today, we are joined by many of our shipyard supervisors and leaders of Incan Theory Marinette Marine. Will you please stand or raise your hand if you work at FMM or if you are part of the Beef Incan Theory family. Please join me again in a round of another applause for this shipbuilder and the many others who could not join us today. Please. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Gabiotti. Our next speaker is the Honorable Tony Evers, Governor of Wisconsin. Well, thank you so much for allowing me to be here. It's a pleasure to welcome the Secretary of Navy, Carlos De Toro, and all the outstanding leaders to Wisconsin to this important event. First and foremost, I want to thank our host here at Incan Theory for having us and for all their work and bringing the constellation to this exciting point today. I'm so glad to recognize this achievement and Incan Theory for their work in making this partnership possible. From the very first days of my administration, we work to ensure that the partners here at Incan Theory were best leveraged to secure this incredible multi-million dollar contract. We invested more than $30 million in my first budget to support worker training and infrastructure that met the Navy's manufacturing expectations. We also secured $12 million in state tax credits for continued shipyard expansion. Altogether, the state has supported various efforts here to the tune of roughly $90 million over the years. I also want to take a moment to recognize the incredible support of Senator Tammy Baldwin and her tireless efforts to work to support this partnership and a strong domestic shipbuilding industry right here in the great state of Wisconsin. Since the Navy announced Incan Theory's involvement in this program to build these next generation constellation class combat vessels, they have been hard at work updating and expanding their facilities to meet the needs of an effort of this size. And having had the chance to support and celebrate many of these landmark projects is great to be here now to see how this hard work has paid off. This contract to build these frigates is a great opportunity for Wisconsin to showcase a rich shipbuilding and maritime history and to cement our role as leaders in the industry moving forward. This impressive expansion effort here at Incan Theory is strengthening job opportunities for folks all across Wisconsin, especially this region, bolstering our state and local economies and creating a 21st century infrastructure we need to support a 21st century workforce. With our states constantly seeing record low unemployment, record high workforce participation, and record job growth in many of our state's key industries, now is an incredibly exciting time for business growth in Wisconsin. And I also want to extend our most profound appreciation to all the Navy leaders here for making this extraordinary opportunity and partnership a reality. You know when folks here made in Wisconsin, they know something is made by some of the greatest workers in the world. And when it comes to creating these vessels that will support the strength of our military and protect the dedicated service members who serve our nation every day, I can think of no better place to have this insurance. So thank you and great to be here today. Thank you Governor. I now invite Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations to the podium. Well good morning everyone. It's an absolute pleasure to be here in Marinette, Wisconsin with each one of you here at Incan Theory's Marine Shipyard. Governor Evers, Secretary Del Toro, Secretary Braithwaite, Mrs. Braithwaite, Mr. Gabiati, distinguished guests, active and reserve sailors, Navy civilians, and the amazing team that is building our warships today. This is truly a great Navy day. Today we are laying the keel for the Navy's next generation small surface combatant, the future workhorse of our fleet. It's an agile multi-mission warship with increased lethality and survivability, capable of operations in both blue water and with Toro combat environments. This ship will be critical to putting more players on the field, players that the Navy needs to promote our nation's prospects to deter aggression and to provide options to our nation's leaders every single day. We need more of these players, platforms that are ready with the right capabilities, weapons and sustainment to ensure that we are fully prepared to fight and win our nation's wars in this decisive decade and beyond. Because as you have seen in just this year alone, the Navy is in demand in the Indo-Pacific, in the Eastern Mediterranean, in the Red Sea and elsewhere to meet our congressionally mandated mission to be organized, trained and equipped for the peacetime promotion of the national security interests and the prosperity of the United States and for prompt and sustained combat incident to operations at sea. Right now, as we sit here today, our sailors are standing the watch around the world, around the clock from the seabed to space, in cyberspace and in the information environment to preserve the peace, to respond in crisis and to win decisively in war if called to do so. And right now, our Navy is delivering power for peace but it's always postured and ready to fight and win as part of the joint force and alongside our allies and partners. It's the Navy that's leading the way with aircraft carriers, with airwings, patrol aircraft, submarines, destroyers, amphibious ships and littoral combat ships. And that roster will soon include the Constellation Class Frigate named after the USS Constellation, the first of six frigates authorized by the Naval Act of 1794 and the first in class designed and built by American workers to ensure the free flow of American commerce by sea. That all starts today with the laying of Constellation's keel with the team here with Congress, with industry, the Navy and everybody here working together to drive towards one purpose to deliver the Navy the nation needs. The success of this class will require a unity of effort in line with the Secretary's call for a new maritime statecraft. It will take national whole of government effort from Congress, the Department of Defense, the Navy, our industry partners and the determination of the amazing American workers to meet the urgency of this time. Again, it's my great pleasure to be here with you today and I'm excited about the future of the Constellation and all her sister ships to come. Thank you very much. Thank you, CNO. It is now my honor to introduce our keynote speaker for today's ceremony, the Honorable Carlos del Toro, 78th Secretary of the Navy. Good afternoon, Wisconsin! I have been waiting for this day for two and a half years and I can't tell you how happy, how proud I am to be with all of you here this afternoon to celebrate this truly historic moment. And before I get into the speech, I want Kate Coyford to please stand up. Stand up, Kate, because she works for the great Senator Tester and in combination with the great Senator Tester, they are the ones who have made the funds for this ship possible as part of the Appropriations Committee. Thank you for your wisdom and your leadership and your conviction, Kate, in making today possible and making a lot more frigates in the future possible. Thank you for approving the two additional frigates in the 24 budget and the two that I'm sure will be approved in the 25 budget and many more beyond that as well too. So thank you, Kate. I next want to thank my dear friend Kenneth Braithwaite, the previous Secretary of the Navy, who in my opinion had the tremendous wisdom along with his wife, well the tremendous wisdom first to marry his wife, Melissa, but had the tremendous wisdom to name not just this ship, this class of ship after the Constellation. I had the privilege of a 26-year Navy career and my very first ship was a frigate, a Garcia class frigate, much older than this, followed by the Perry class frigates. And I am so proud that finally we are bringing back to the Navy our frigates and naming it the Constellation class frigates can just made all the difference in the world and as you know and I know it's a really special privilege to be able to name all the ships in the United States Navy and a responsibility that we take very very seriously. So thank you for having made that happen. Ladies and gentlemen, as you heard our extraordinary Chief of Naval Operations as Admiral Lisa Franketti say, it is a privilege in fact lead the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. And before I begin my formal remarks today, I just want to take just a very brief moment for all of us to recognize the bravery and the courageousness of the men and women in the United States Navy and Marine Corps today who are serving around the globe but more importantly even than that serving in the Red Sea today. For five and a half months now they have been batting back daily attacks on the part of the terrorist Houthis and they have done so with tremendous professionalism without the loss of not one single life in the United States Navy. Regretfully three very innocent merchant mariners have lost their lives to these terrorist attacks. We owe these men and women who serve in uniform in our Navy and Marine Corps a tremendous thanks and I'd like to implore you for those that are not standing to please get on your feet and give them a loud round of applause so they can hear you all the way from the Red Sea. And yes please sound that cowbell. Thank you for indulging me. Thank you. As I said today is indeed a special day for our fleet our Navy our nation as we take this next step in the construction of the future USS Constellation ceremony. Governor Evers thank you sir for your leadership of this tremendous state and the contributions that you have made to this city to our Navy to the very construction of this ship. Your leadership has been instrumental and will continue to be instrumental for many years as we continue to build more frigates here in Wisconsin. I deeply value our enduring partnership with you and Secretary Pahachek as the citizens of Wisconsin build the warships our Navy needs to execute its missions around the globe and as perhaps the only Secretary of the Navy who's ever personally overseeing the construction of a Navy warship let me say to all of you shipbuilders I myself lived in a shipyard for close to two years day and night working 14 hour days to oversee the construction of one of our Arleigh Burke destroyers. I know how hard it is to do this work. How hard it is to do the shift work. Always seeing the ship progress slightly every single day and I thank you for your dedication and your passion and to building this ship to building all of the ships that you have built here in Wisconsin including the LCS and the ships that you're building for our partners in Saudi Arabia and now the Constellation class frigate. I also want to welcome the leaders from the great state of Michigan as well too I hope I don't get in trouble who are here with us this morning the adjutant general of Michigan major general Rogers the CEO of the Mission Economic Development Corporation Mr. Miser and the director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Ms. Corbin. Michigan and Wisconsin share more than a border they share a workforce as we think regionally about how to grow a shipbuilding talent pipeline I look forward to working with the leaders of both states to find innovative ways in developing the shipbuilding workforce and the resilient supply chains that will provide the critical support to our fleet in the decades to come. Admiral Francketti again thank you for joining us this morning for your leadership of our Navy and for sharing your insights into the pivotal role that the USS Constellation will play in America's warfighting Navy throughout her time in service I couldn't have said it better myself and I also want to recognize Secretary Braithwaite wife Melissa again who is the ship sponsor of the USS Constellation a ship sponsor is an important role in our naval heritage and I have no doubt that you will do an incredible job serving as the bond between the ship her crew and the nation they serve for many many many years. Finally to our industry partners again led by Frank and Terry, Marco, Dadio and the entire leadership of this shipyard. Thank you for what you've done already what I know you will continue to do and you have my pledge as the secretary of the Navy that we will work with you tooth and nail to build this ship and deliver it on time and on schedule and I've been as I've told my acquisition workforce not to grow the requirements on the ship any further than necessary I have been promised I did make an ask of Marco and Dadio this morning that the ship will have absolutely the best galley with the best Italian food of any of our ships in the United States Navy and he pledged me that they would deliver that on that promise so the USS Constellation and the Constellation Class Frigates are indeed a critical next step in the modernization of our surface ship inventory increasing the numbers of players on the field as the CNO says available globally for our fleet and our combatant commanders as recent events in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific have shown our ships our submarines sailors and Marines are in high demand by our national decision makers every day nearly a third of our fleet is deployed with another fifth underway conducting training and operations to prepare for deployment and today we have over 30,000 Marines that are deployed overseas also meeting mission our sailors and Marines operate around the globe in austere environments often alongside our international allies and partners deterring adversaries and standing ready to prevail in combat when called upon at the heart of it our people our greatest strength and when I say our people again that doesn't just mean our sailors and Marines and uniforms it includes our department of the Navy civilians who work tirelessly along their uniform counterparts often in the same deployed or forward station environments and the ones that are dedicated to building these great ships it includes the talented scientists the engineers the researchers at our nation's universities and colleges developing the transformational technologies of tomorrow which will have dual use cases to provide our fleet and force with warfighting advantage and here in Wisconsin again it includes our skilled tradesmen and women who have chosen to make shipbuilding their proud profession providing for and maintaining a ready capable and lethal Navy Marine Corps is not just a department of the Navy effort it is indeed an entire whole of country effort which is why our country today needs a national maritime statecraft and when i called for a reimagining of our national approach to maritime statecraft centered around rebuilding our commercial and naval power i highlighted the need for men and women across our country to become more involved in our shipbuilding interest today's ceremony is reflective of that this yard is teeming with activity Americans from all walks of life coming together to build warships is a demonstration of our industrial might and showcasing the talents of the skilled workforce that our nation must expand during this critical period in our world's history it takes a nation to build a navy and the collaboration between industry and our department that is on display at the shipyard symbolizes the teamwork required to do so i am committed to restoring the shipbuilding might our nation once had both commercial and naval and to ensuring that we get our major shipbuilding programs back on track on time and on budget i look forward to working with all of our stakeholders across industry government academia to increase our nation's capacity and capability to build maintain and modernize the fleet our nation requires to confront the challenges of today and it's called upon to always prevail in combat again it's an honor to be with you here this morning as we mark the special milestone and the construction of the future us's constellation may god continue to grace our nation with fair winds and following seas thank you and i look forward to seeing you many more times here in wisconsin as the ship continues to be built and especially at the christianing and then at the commissioning so we can get her out to see where she belongs thank you more cowbell thank you secretary del Toro it is now my honor to introduce our final speaker final speaker melissa braithwaite sponsor of the future uss constellation this is braithwaite is the wife of the honorable kenneth braithwaite who as i mentioned earlier was the secretary of the navy when this ship was given her name sponsoring a navy ship is one of the most hollowed traditions of the united states navy and today marks the beginning of a lifelong relationship between mrs braithwaite the future uss constellation and her future crew ma'am thank you for your continued service to the navy in this unique world and welcome to the fin cantieri family ladies and gentlemen melissa braithwaite hopefully i can read this without thank you without my glasses wow i knew this was going to be an incredible day but i didn't know it was going to be so overwhelming and powerful i am truly honored to be here as the uss constellation sponsor it is absolutely one of the greatest honors of my life i never ever could have dreamed that i would be standing among all of you today sharing this with you you see when i was a young girl one of my earliest memories was growing up in southern jersey waiting for my dad to come home from his two weeks of reserve duty it was the longest two weeks of my life i was daddy's little girl and i still am i could barely contain myself as i would wait for him to walk through the door in his impressive navy blue uniform and i knew that he would be holding one of my favorite things after he returned which was a stuffed animal and a big hug for me um from that day on the navy was always a very important part of my life and then i married my husband ken at the naval academy i almost passed out at that wedding because i didn't realize how long of an aisle that was but it was a beautiful wedding and then following being a navy wife and ken's long service as in the navy but today today i have the honor of truly truly belonging and having the honor of belonging to the navy myself i am so honored i am so honored to be the sponsor of the great uss constellation and i am so grateful to every single one of you every one of you the u.s. united states navy to fincantieri to all of you that make this happen i see all of you back there and i i just wish i could give every single one of you a hug thank you for making all of this possible i want to give a special thank you to dario desti marco galbiotti and mark vandro for hosting the special event for secretary del Toro and admiral franketti for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend and for the exceptional leadership of the navy to the fincantieri and navy ship building team for their hard work skill and craftsmanship and bringing constellation to life and thank you to my husband kenneth break weight the 77th secretary of the navy for without his service i would never be standing here today and thank you to alisha addinson for all of her help and support and organizing today's beautiful event it is my deepest desire and wish and promise for each and every one of you to know that from this day forward i stand firmly by your side and the future cruise side to always and forever be with you my heart soul thoughts and prayers will be with all of you for as long as the u.s constellation ship shall sail may god bless the u.s navy may god bless fincantieri and may god bless all of us and all of our families and loved ones thank you thank you mrs break weight for those wonderful remarks and for being the sponsor of the future uss constellation we will now continue with the authentication of the keel for ffg 62 the keel laying is the formal recognition of the start of the ship's module construction process in earlier times it was the laying down of the central or main timber forming the backbone of the vessel however today construction of ship's modules begins months before they are actually joined however the keel laying still symbolizes the beginning of a new ship today our welder gene Wagner will then sure okay i thought i'd miss something there my apologies our welder gene Wagner will complete the authentication by welding mrs break weights initials into the plate this plate will be permanently affixed to the ship and will sail with the constellation throughout her life for safety purposes i ask everyone to refrain from looking directly at the welding arc if i can now ask mrs break weight and all of our platform guests to please join me at the welding table that the keel of the future uss constellation has been truly and fairly laid for authenticating our keel today thank you gene for the great welding job ladies and gentlemen thank you for joining us today this concludes our ceremony and this important event in the life of the uss constellation have a great day thanks everyone