 245 years ago, the First Continental Navy Squadron set sail for the open water. For the first time, we asserted our military reach beyond the horizon, demanding our place among the community of nations. We've never relinquished that place, and now our reach and influence extends to every part of the globe. But that globe is changing, and we must change with it. That's why I'm grateful to the Naval War College for hosting this important gathering. The effects of the receding ice in the Arctic are real and are accelerating in every part of the world. In the Department of the Navy, we've seen its impact on our infrastructure at Camp Lejeune and at Norfolk. And we've seen the transformation of the Arctic to navigable and competitive theater that will have an enormous impact on the balance of power and on commerce throughout the world. That's why we are releasing the Department of the Navy's strategic blueprint for the Arctic, establishing the groundwork for durable and lasting capabilities in that emerging theater. A blue Arctic characterized by melting sea ice and increasingly navigable waters requires a new approach by the Navy Marine Corps team to preserve our advantage at sea. The vast remote and austere Arctic environment provides naval forces an opportunity to exploit key terrain to improve the security of sea lines of communications. And as a Naval War College audience will know, Alfred Thayer Mahan described control over the lines of communication as the preeminence of sea power. As an Arctic nation with interest extending from Maine to the Aleutian Islands and across our northern constellation of allies and partners, we must be bold and assert our influence in the high north. This blueprint is a statement of cooperation in a region that critically requires such engagement. However, it is also an assertion of our readiness and determination to defend the homeland and remain competitive. We will achieve our enduring national security interests in a blue Arctic by pursuing these objectives. Maintain enhanced presence, strengthen cooperative partnerships and build a more capable Arctic naval force. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have been operating in the Arctic for decades, in the air, under the sea and on the ground, and we're accelerating our capabilities on the surface. The Arctic is a unique region that presents unique challenges, and the only way we'll be ready to meet those challenges is with consistent training and practice in real-world conditions. That's why we're training and preparing alongside our allies and partners, leveraging their expertise in the region and building our capability to operate efficiently and effectively beneath the northern lights. In the spring of 2019, Exercise Northern Edge saw 10,000 personnel from the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group operating alongside the Joint Force to enhance interoperability and improve capabilities above the Arctic Circle. Two years ago, Trident Juncture marked the largest post-Cold War exercise in the Arctic, bringing together nearly 50,000 personnel, 65 ships and 250 aircraft for a collective defensive exercise in Norway and in its surrounding waters. Dynamic Mongoose brought together NATO, surface ships, submarines and maritime patrol aircraft for complex anti-submarine warfare training off the coast of Iceland. And we've continued ISEX, the longest running Arctic exercise, honing our undersea capabilities beneath the Arctic ice. Beyond joint operations, we are forging agreements with our allies and partners on the Arctic Council, including the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding for the International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research. Regional cooperation built on a bedrock of internationally recognized principles like national sovereignty is in the best interest of every member of the Arctic community. We seek an Arctic region that is stable and free of conflict, where nations act responsibly in the spirit of trust and cooperation to preserve freedom of navigation, protect sensitive ecosystems and respect international law. We hope all nations will follow our collective example. But while we hope, we also watch. And right now we're watching Russia assert territorial dominance in the Northern Passage as it secures economic interest, expands its military presence and invests in new offensive and defensive technology specific to the harsh Arctic climate. We're also watching China claim status as a near Arctic nation, trying to normalize its presence in the region through a polar silk road with the same coercive tactics that have defined the Belt and Road Initiative. So when you think of the second and third order effects of receding sea ice, you have to consider what can happen if we don't have a strategic and effective presence in a blue Arctic. Left uncontested, our competitors have the potential to make incremental gains through aggression and malign activity until we're dealing with effect to complete at the top of the Earth. We cannot let that happen. We won't let that happen. So I invite you to review a blue Arctic, the Department of Navy's strategic blueprint for the Arctic and the urgent tasks ahead for our naval forces, our nation and our allies. I appreciate all of your efforts to bring attention to this national security concern and I wish you all the best in your studies at the preeminent war college. And finally, Happy New Year to each of you. I am sure 2021 will be a better year.