 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the academic convocation of the United States Naval War College. We are pleased to welcome a total of 525 students to include 217 in our senior level college from our armed services, civilian employees of the federal government, and military officers from around the globe. Please remain seated for the academic procession led by the Marshal, Professor Charles Chadborne and Dr. Phil Han, Dean of Academics. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for our national anthem and the invocation. The national anthem will be sung by musician's second class, Daniel Weber, from the Navy Band Northeast. Oh say can you see, by the dawn, what so proudly at the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, were so gallantly streaming? Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the Commander Richard Smothers, Command Chaplain, Naval Station Newport will deliver the invocation. Let us pray, whoever would be great among you must be your servant. Almighty God gathered here on the cusp of this new season of learning, we are grateful. Grant to each student, instructor, and staff member of the Naval Command College and the College of Naval Warfare great stamina, wisdom, humility, and the insight to apply their learning effectively each day. Lord the Class of 2022, representing 50 nations and an incredible variety of military and civilian services and agencies have an utterly unique learning opportunity. Many of them are far from home. Please bless and keep their loved ones during their time apart. Give grace and strength to each throughout this demanding and rewarding time in Newport. May the new friendships begun here be forged into enduring fellowship and service around the globe in years to come. May the examples of those who have come before us spur each of us to new heights of leadership and self-sacrifice. And so teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Lord, now bless those who will speak in this hour with words that strengthen us to serve with courage, skill, zeal, and honor. This we pray in your holy and mighty name. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. On the stage this morning are Captain Christopher Rohrbach, U.S. Navy, Chair, Joint Military Operations Department, Dr. Kevin McCraney, Chair, Strategy and Policy Department, Dr. Derek Reverend, Chair, National Security Affairs Department, Dr. Peter Dutton, Interim Dean, Center for Naval Warfare Studies, Rear Admiral Retired, Michael White, Dean, College of Maritime Operational Warfare, Professor Walt Wilderman, Dean, College of Distance Education, Rear Admiral Retired, Dr. Margaret Klein, Dean, College of Leadership and Ethics, Professor Thomas Mangold, Dean of International Programs and Maritime Security Cooperation, Dr. Phil Han, Dean of Academics, Dr. Thomas Gibbons, Associate Provost, U.S. Naval War College, Rear Admiral Shoshana S. Chatfield, President of the United States Naval War College. Will members of the Naval Command College and College of Naval Warfare please rise? Captain Michael Kwan, Director, Naval Command College will present the 50 nations represented in this year's class. Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States of America. They will be joined in class by members of our College of Naval Warfare, which includes students from the United States Air Force, Air National Guard, Army, Army National Guard, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and civilians representing Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Senior Leadership Development Program, Department of the U.S. Army, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Special Operations Command. Please be seated. On October 6, 1884, Secretary of the Navy, William E. Chandler, signed General Order 325, which began by stating, A college is hereby established for an advanced course of professional study for naval officers to be known as the Naval War College. The principal building on Coaster's Harbor Island, Newport, Rhode Island, will be assigned to its use and is hereby transferred with the surrounding structures and the grounds immediately adjacent to the custody and control of the Bureau of Navigation for that purpose. The college will be under the immediate charge of an officer of the Navy, not below the grade of commander, to be known as the President of the Naval War College. He will be assisted in the performance of his duties by a faculty. A course of instruction embracing the higher branches of professional study will be arranged by a board, consisting of all members of the faculty and including the President, who will be the presiding officer of the board. The course of instruction will be open to all officers above the grade of Naval Cadet. Commodore Stephen B. Luce has been assigned to duty as President of the College. Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor to speak to you today and one that I highly appreciate. If you would permit me, I would like to say something about the aims and objects of this college. Although called a college, this institution differs from all other seats of learning. A moment's consideration will show why this must be so. As its name implies, the principal object of the college is the study of the science and art of war. Now, war is a very large and comprehensive subject. And it would be the height of presumption on the part of the college to undertake to teach officers of mature years, any branch, whatever, of their profession. Even the most elementary, or that the college can do, all that it professes to do is to invite officers to come to it and to offer them every facility for pursuing the study of the highest branches of their profession. All here, faculty and class alike occupy the same plane without distinction of age, rank, or assumption of superior attainments. All are pursuing one and the same end, the advancement of their profession. We speak habitually of the science and art of war. As a science, it recognizes certain general principles which are just as applicable today as they were in the time of the great Athenian admiral Themistocles. A strict adherence to those principles does not always ensure victory, it is true. But the violation of them, either through ignorance or neglect, has almost invariably led to defeat. Military writers have been careful to warn us that although war in its most extended sense may be called a science, it is not an exact science. As an art, war is governed by rules which vary from age to age. Art, it has been well said, may be learned, but it cannot be taught. This is particularly true of the art of war. It cannot be taught, accepting in so far as one may teach oneself, and it is to offer every officer the opportunity of teaching himself that the college doors are open. That war is the best school of war is one of those dangerous and delusive sayings that contain just enough truth to secure currency. He who waits for war to learn his profession often acquired his knowledge at a frightful cost of human life. Change. Continual, unremitting change is the law of the universe. Stagnation means atrophy and death. It is not enough for us to keep abreast of the times. This college must be in the very front rank of the advanced guard of progress. To obtain some perception however dim of the future, we must study the past. This teaches us that the civilization we now enjoy was brought about by war. The proud position we as a nation now occupy was rendered possible only by wars. And future problems in the destiny of man will be worked out through the instrumentality of the sword. There is no escaping it. We are no apologists for war, heaven forbid. We simply regard it from a common sense point of view as one of the many eels that flesh is heir to. War is a dreadful scourge. We all admit it is a relic of barbarism. We admit everything that can be said against war. But after all has been said, no student of history, however superficial, can deny that through that same dreadful scourge, ultimate good has been brought about. It has been so in the past and as far as human discernment can go, it must be so in the future. However, we may in certain instances avert war. Mark this well. War may be averted in one way and one way only, and that way is to be fully prepared for it. That is the meaning of this college. It is an instrumentality for the prevention of war by being prepared for it. To be prepared for war is the role of the naval strategist. To be in the right place at the right time and with adequate force means success by checkmating your adversary in the first few moves. Campaigns have been won without firing a shot simply by skillful strategic movements. It is true business of this college is to study all the various problems of war as they may affect this country. Now, it is quite unnecessary to explain to such an audience as I have the honor of addressing that the college itself has no power whatsoever to act. Nor does it have authority to formulate naval policy. Its aim is simply to invite officers to meet together to discuss questions pertaining to the highest branches of their profession. And to enable each one according to his or her own inclinations to prepare themselves for the highest and most responsible duties that can devolve upon a naval officer. One thing, one thing must be borne in mind. At the firing of the first gun proclaiming war this so-called inspiration of genius may be trusted only when it is the result of long and careful study and reflection. If attendance here will serve in any degree to broaden an officer's views, extend their mental horizons on national and international question and give them a just appreciation of the great variety and extent of the requirements of their profession. Then this college, ladies and gentlemen, will not have existed in vain. Thank you. Thank you Admiral Luce. Now that we've been inspired by the still relevant remarks delivered in 1903 by our founding president, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our current president, Rear Admiral Shashana S. Chatfield. Good morning. Good morning. It is a great honor and a pleasure to be here today. And I would like to start by acknowledging our CNO, Distinguished International Fellows Admiral Guillermo Barrera, Admiral Nirmal Verma, and Rear Admiral Lars Sanez. Thank you, Admiral, for being with us today. I'd like to also recognize our gracious and engaged Naval War College Foundation represented here by Captain Retired George Lang. Thank you so much for your continued support. To all of our distinguished guests, to our interim provost, Dr. Hickey, represented here today by Associate Provost Tom Givens, to our deans, our faculty, our families, and to all of you students, welcome to our convocation for academic year 21-22. I am honored to stand in front of you today as we celebrate this time-honored tradition of convocation and ceremony to mark the beginning of your new academic chapter. Together, we are about to embark on a journey that will expand your knowledge and your understanding in a vast array of subjects, building upon your various levels of experience, expertise, and previous scholarship. Our travels together will take place synchronously, asynchronously, through virtual and in-person classroom experiences, through textbooks and side reading, lectures and discussion boards, and faculty feedback on papers, and more often than you would predict today, through your own interactions with other students. This year will fortify your knowledge of history, which can prepare each of us to understand the context and the challenges we will face tomorrow, and we will also consider important issues facing our global security today and in the future. The diversity of the people sitting in this room today is one of our greatest advantages. We are all unique and represent our different services, professional backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and genders, and we all deserve to be acknowledged and appreciated for who we are and what we bring to this community. For each of you, the year apart from your home institution will allow you time to focus on yourself, your own study habits, your ability to perceive nuances in literature, policy, and doctrine, and most importantly, to understand and be informed by the perspectives of others. I'm going to ask you today to look after each other. An academic experience like this one may also be accompanied by the time and headspace to feel emotions that you have carefully compartmentalized sometimes for years. You may encounter triggers here that activate responses you are unfamiliar with or that you have struggled with previously. The past 18 months have presented many complex situations to everyone in this room. Issues of social justice, equality, and fair treatment under the law, hatred, and extremism brought to the forefront of our awareness in this timeframe through the murder of George Floyd. All of these things have awakened in our American society and in societies globally the challenges that are faced by people in communities in their home and in their work lives. The coming 20-year commemoration of the attacks on America and the ending of a 20-year military operation in Afghanistan that has touched so many of our lives. A global pandemic placing restrictions on our physical activities and perceptions of threats to individual freedoms have introduced friction into all levels of discourse. These and many other stressors can impact the quality of your lives and your mental health. Please do not suffer in silence. Our Command Master Chief, Master Chief Joe Farney, our medical team, HM1 Gordon and HM1 O'Brien, our Dean of Students, your course moderators, and our faculty here, we are all ready to support you and enable this year. And if necessary, we can help connect you to resources to manage these situations. We are united together in our common goal for this academic year to expand our intellectual engagement with each other and the course material. To prepare to represent our countries, our services, our interagency, our international partners. You are all future peacekeepers, past peacekeepers, you are all defenders of freedom here and around the world. Together, through inquisitive conversations, respect for differing viewpoints, and differing approaches to problem solving, you will become enlightened to new ways of thinking while building enduring relationships. Your success will be measured less by what you accomplish in your time here and more by what you do when you leave here. Whether it's as an action officer, an advisor to a senior decision maker, you are all on a path to becoming advocates for maritime peace and prosperity. The best way we can preserve peace is by becoming experts in the history, methods, and execution of war. You will be reminded of this every day as you enter our Stansfield Turner Memorial Walkway from the Quarterdeck. Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that defenses of peace must be constructed. This college, our talented staff, our extraordinary faculty is informed by the vision of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Our work is to facilitate your journey as each of you further develop into strategically-minded operators and joint warfighters capable of thinking critically and creatively to inform national strategy. Apply military power and conduct globally integrated operations under conditions of disruptive change. You are being challenged by our maritime service chiefs to act with urgency to integrate and modernize our forces as we prepare for the challenges ahead. The boldness of our actions must match the magnitude of the moment. The security of our nation depends on our ability to maintain advantage at sea. I challenge you to examine what our world-class faculty offers you and to ask you to meet this academic school year with determination to accomplish the task at hand. It will not be easy, but your performance here sets the tone for a future of solving adaptive challenges, where there are no known solutions or too many solutions, but no clear path. I encourage you to engage in stimulating conversations with your peers to learn new ways of doing things. Deliberately question your own assumptions, respectfully listen to one another, keep an open mind and do not be afraid to explore new ways of framing problems and considering others proposed solutions. Mark Twain wrote, History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes. Studying history deeply at the graduate level helps apply historical insights to current challenges. Studying and understanding the past assists in guiding our decisions in the future. Here in this academic environment, you will have that opportunity of time and space to consider what was and what might have been. You are the future commanders, diplomats, advisors, managers and lawmakers. Through a variety of modes of learning you will grow as a leader, learning new ways to build trust, instill teams with confidence, and operate across joint forces, integrate allies and partners, and preserve the peace. As you embark on this year's course of study, be mindful that today's students are tomorrow's leaders. What will your paths look like to those who follow you? What lessons will you pass on to prevent future struggles, future calamity? My hope is that you will become skilled integrators, that you will see the world through a lens of ethical leadership. I envision you as capable operators that harness wisdom from your time here and continuously integrate it with the environment around you to initiate changes that have a substantial impact on the world in which we live. Your efforts now will serve to protect people in times of war and promote a path of peace for all future generations. Nelson Mandela, when he visited Madison Park High School in Boston, stated, education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. This is why you are here, because education is a force multiplier. You, the future alumni of the United States Naval War College, will be honing your ability to think critically and creatively through globally integrated operations to fight if necessary under conditions of disruptive change. I challenge you to maximize this force multiplier, research war in all of its facets and all of its many domains. Paying special attention to the study of deterrence, joint war fighting, war termination, diplomacy, reconciliation, advocacy, inclusion, tolerance, and even hope. I entrust each of you at the end of your time here with the responsibility to influence the future, be it through policy strategy or operations, to recognize and interpret change and to work to ensure enduring peace for all nations. We at the United States Naval War College are committed to educating and developing leaders who will go on to support your organizations and your services in an era of great power competition while strengthening global maritime partnerships. Your individual roles and missions will vary, but you will all be charged with the same responsibility to promote ethical leadership across the force. While the Naval War College holds a very special place in our nation's history, it is up to each of us to carve out its relevance in our own lives and professions. We represent many nations bound by a commitment of public service and a deep tradition of understanding the importance of free and open commerce and communication on the seas. We come from many countries with diverse backgrounds and represent a multitude of uniforms, yet we will come away from this year with shared goals and a common purpose. Your achievements and your marks on history will be studied by generations to come. They will celebrate your triumphs, learn from your mistakes, and follow your examples. Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts. Over the next year, you will grow in ways that you have not thought possible. You will leave this college with the courage to be bold, unafraid of change, strengthened by the knowledge of centuries of study, ready to rise to the challenges you will face in the future. And you're in good hands. Our faculty hail from across the military, academia, government, and private industry. They will challenge your learning style and push your intellectual capacity to prepare you for the future. They will provide you with cutting edge, strategic and operational research concepts, plans, and technology. They will facilitate your outreach, enhance your interoperability, and enable you to foster vast networks of lifelong friends. I know each of you draws your strength from your dedicated family and most trusted friends. To you students, your families have been there throughout your careers and now they prepare with you for this chapter. Please appreciate them, honor them, and love them well. This last year and a half has been so complex and so demanding on each family. For those of you on this journey who are not supported by a traditional family unit, I know how hard it is sometimes to be a single sailor, a single soldier, a single marine, a single guardian, a single Coast Guardsman. You have found a way to make meaning of your service and you have worked hard to build supportive networks and friendships that are sometimes not acknowledged. And I want to assure you that your efforts and those networks are appreciated here today. To the spouses, significant others, children, and supportive friends of our service members, I know it is never easy to sacrifice time together. While I'm grateful that there will be no deployments during this academic year, I know there will still be challenging days and evenings ahead. Your effort and support are so very meaningful to your loved one and also to your country. It is frequently said, and it is heartfeltly said today, thank you for all that you do. As the 57th President of the United States Naval War College, it is my distinct honor and duty to declare the 2021-2022 academic year officially in session. Thank you. Thank you, Admiral. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the benediction and the departure of the official party. Let us pray. Eternal Father, we give you thanks for the gift of learning and of imparting knowledge to others. May each day invested here in the Naval War College bear lasting fruit, give to each instructor and student the shared joys of new insights, enduring truths and fresh perspectives in serving and leading others. Keep ever aware in our memories and in our daily practices, your presence, your power, your wisdom and goodness. For today, it is in your glorious name and confidently that we pray. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our ceremony. Thank you for joining us this morning.