 Please rise and remain standing for the arrival of the official party, National Anthem, and invocation. The National Anthem will be sung by Ms. Julie Zekker. Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly mean, whose broad stripes and bright stars fight, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? And Her Douglassy Rose-Anne here at the Naval War College Chapman will deliver the invocation. Let us pray. From ancient Scripture, an intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. Merciful Lord in Heaven, we ask for Your presence with us today. Graduation marks a milestone in the life of each one being recognized for their many months of hard work and perseverance. These students have been stretched, challenged, and tested. Thank you for their hard work and success. As a result of their time here, may they be better equipped to lead, serving our nation and benefiting others. Thank you for their instructors and mentors, as well as their families and friends who have encouraged them along the way. Now please be with those being recognized today for their achievements, and keep us all mindful of Your presence, through the one who saves. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. It gives me great pleasure to introduce the members of our official party. Dr. Michael Pavkovic, Chair, Strategy and Policy Department. Professor Alan J. Abramsen, Chair, Joint Military Operations Department. Dr. Jay Hickey, Director, College of Distance Education. Dr. David Cooper, Chair, National Security Affairs Department. Dr. John Garifano, Dean of Academic Affairs. Professor William Spain, Provost. Dr. Toshi Yoshihara, John A. Van Buren, Chair of Asia Pacific Studies, Strategy and Policy Department. Rear Admiral P. Gardner Howe III, President, United States Naval War College. Good day and welcome to all the guests at today's ceremony. Several years ago, we began a tradition at the Naval War College of allowing the graduating student body to nominate their guest speaker, from amongst all the talented professionals at the college. I would like to ask graduating student, Lieutenant Commander Michael Pine to introduce your faculty guest speaker. All right, thank you, Captain. I'm proud to be able to introduce our keynote speaker, Dr. Toshi Yoshihara. Although I was a student of his in Strategy and War, my first introduction to him actually came a year earlier at a Navy exchange on the Washington Navy Yard. There, I was browsing a bookshelf while waiting for something and came across the section for the Chief of Naval Operations Professional Reading Program where the Navy exchange had stocked some books on that recommended reading list. And among those books was a book called Red Star Over the Pacific co-authored by Dr. Yoshihara. And that name stuck with me after reading for a couple of minutes because it showed me that clearly there are people out there who are actually paying attention to the world. As it turns out, his name is attached to much more than a book on a reading list. A full rundown of his many academic credentials would take away all of his time to speak, but it suffices to say that he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his teaching. He has a bachelor's degree in the Science of Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a master's in international affairs from Johns Hopkins University at the School of Advanced International Studies. He has completed his doctorate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Here at the Naval War College, Dr. Yoshihara holds the John A. Van Buren Chair of Asia Pacific Studies and he is also an affiliate member of the China Maritime Studies Institute here at the War College. Now during his academic career, he has also had associations with the Air War College and the Army War College. So he's been doing a lot. Now I'll turn to his time at the Army War College since he was too smart to leave me with an embarrassing tale from his time teaching me in SNW. There at the Army War College, he wrote a paper detailing Chinese interest in information warfare, things like computers and cyber and the messaging that they put out. And that's an interest that we've increasingly seen the concrete results of in the news. Now what was striking to me was that he wrote this paper in November 2001, long before the news was filled with stories of Chinese hacking. A lot has changed since then. The iPod and Windows XP had just been released. Cell phones were either flip phones or the Nokia Candy Bards. Osama bin Laden had not yet been flushed from the caves at Torobora. The USS Virginia attack submarine was still 18 months from being launched. And even today we're discussing her successor. Enron was around, although nearly bankrupt. And pop culture references at the time or the pop culture included in his paper was a phantom menace since Star Wars Episode II hadn't been released yet. Yet despite this churn, Dr. Yoshihara's 2001 paper into the strategy of information warfare showed a great deal of foresight demonstrating Mayhem's principle that the foundations of strategy remain firm even if the tactics change from time to time. And it gives us a great example for budding strategists to look to. So without further ado, please join me in welcoming Dr. Toshi Yoshihara to the podium. Mike, thank you very much for that very kind introduction to the official party. Thank you. Dear graduates, family and friends of the graduates, distinguished guests, it is my honor to join you on this happy occasion. At the War College, we often repeat the mantra that there are no school solutions. And we mean it. I'm sure you've asked a question expecting a straight answer from one of the oracles. Instead you get, you got it, it depends. Honestly, sometimes it's because we have absolutely no idea what you've just asked of us. But more often, instead of offering answers, we try to cultivate a habit of thought that prods all of us to ask the important questions. So I have two questions for you this morning. What lessons have you learned from your time at the War College and how do you plan to apply those lessons after your return to the fleet and to the field? For a change, finally, I'll answer those questions from my own perspective. I'll give you my take with a personal story. I grew up on Taiwan. I reached young adulthood in tumultuous but exciting times. For my entire childhood, I lived under martial law on the island. I remember how the Taiwan Garrison Command, basically the secret police, enforced martial law and maintained a visible presence in society. In the 70s and 80s, my father ran a factory in Taipei. The command attached an observer, a spy, if you will, in my father's office headquarters. He was in all of the meetings and attended all of the social events that my dad hosted. It was frankly kind of creepy. Every year, a member of the command would visit my house and interview us for what seemed like forever. I had a glimpse of life under authoritarian rule. Then in the summer of 1987, martial law was finally lifted. At the time, it was the longest on earth, 38 years and 57 days. The lifting was one early step to politically liberalize the island, leading to the first free presidential elections less than a decade later. In late 1987, South Korea followed with its first Democratic presidential elections. A year before, people power had swept Ferdinand Marcos out of power in the Philippines. These three Asian countries joined what Samuel Huntington at Harvard called the third wave of democratization. It was an absolutely amazing and formative experience for me. The credit, of course, goes to the courageous Taiwanese, Koreans and Filipinos. They made democracy possible. They shattered the prevailing notion at the time that Asian societies, particularly Confucian ones, were culturally and historically unsuited for democratic governance. Today, Taiwan remains a powerful counterpoint to those who insist that the Chinese on the mainland are somehow inherently incapable of self-governance. The young Hong Kongers on the streets in the past months are another potent symbol of the ongoing quest among the people of greater China for self-government. So, what's the connection between my personal experiences in Taiwan in the 1980s and you? Well, I would argue that the people of Taiwan were the beneficiaries of the hard lessons that Americans drew seven decades ago. Statesmen and strategists, including President Franklin Roosevelt, drew a clear lesson from World War II and its origins. The lesson was, never again. Never again would the United States remain disengaged from world affairs and allow things to go so badly that only tremendous sacrifices by the American people would restore the world order. To prevent the rerun of a global disaster, American leaders decided to put forward forward defense in Europe and in Asia to maintain a favorable balance of power, sustain deep economic engagement in those same areas to promote open trade and finance, to foster stability and promote growth, create and defend institutions and rules modeled after American institutions at home to reinforce stability and economic interdependence. In sum, those leaders decided in the midst of World War II to lead a new international order. And we are still very much living that order, what we now call a liberal world order. The dramatic political developments in Asia that I described above are inseparable from those lessons drawn in the 1940s. The peace and prosperity that made those political movements possible were underwritten in no small part by American military power and American restraint. Forward-deployed American forces kept the sea lanes open for commerce. The Seventh Fleet ensured that all countries could freely use the seas without reducing their availability to all others. Giving more than it took, American restraint and largesse provided much-needed financial aid and kept the U.S. market open, often on terms unfavorable to itself to fuel the export-led economies of maritime Asia. Power and restraint created a virtuous cycle of peace, stability and wealth generation that in turn tipped the political balance in those Asian countries. Now, what does this experience tell us today? Well, first of all, with the caveats, history never repeats itself. There is no reason to believe that those Asian experiences, unique to those particular places and times, could ever be replicated exactly elsewhere. Along the way, we've committed strategic errors, which we've studied here at the War College. The Vietnam War comes to mind. We have learned over the past decade that societies cannot be molded at gunpoint. Finally, we did not do this out of altruism. We did it during the existential Cold War struggle, and our forward strategy ultimately favored our interests and our own prosperity. But we should not lose sight of the larger lesson. The U.S.-led international order produced the enabling conditions for self-government in Asia. Robert Kagan memorably likened this international order to a garden. It requires constant patient tending, and it takes vigilance to keep out the weeds and to keep the hostile surrounding jungle from encroaching on this garden. For decades, we planted, we pruned, we watered, and we fertilized that garden, while keeping the invasive and harmful varieties at bay. Now, it's easy to take all of this for granted. It's also easy to argue that we had nothing to do with the order, or that the order would be fine without us. At the same time, foreign and domestic troubles in recent years have led to calls for retrenchment. The cynics, moreover, argue that we do more harm than good. These views show that this consensus that this order is worth defending is reversible. It is a choice we make as a nation. It is a choice that can be unmade. Retreat is indeed a choice. We could, to use Kagan's metaphor, use to let the chaos of the jungle take over the fragile liberal order. Until then, however, we collectively have a job to do to sustain the will and the resources to defend the liberal world order. And we look to you, the custodians of the military instrument and other implements of national power to serve as the ultimate backstop to this order. In Asia, the quiet deterrent power of the U.S. armed forces remain as vital today as it did in the darkest days of the Cold War. Now, it may be the recent immigrant in me speaking, but I believe in the purpose and power of the United States. I have reason to believe because I've worked with you and your peers for over a decade. I have witnessed your professionalism and your constant pursuit of excellence. I have heard the arguments you made in class and read the papers you wrote. You wrestled with the dilemmas of being a leading power in world affairs with the difficult choices and sacrifices that must be made and with the contingent nature of international politics. I am confident that you will more than live up to those higher purposes that have enabled the United States to lead and to shape the world and in my small corner of the world in Asia to set the conditions for transformation. I want to thank you for your service and to wish you every success. Dr. Yoshihara, on behalf of the students, staff, and faculty, I thank you for your comments today and your ongoing contributions and service to our country. For each graduating class, one student is selected for recognition as a president's honor graduate. This award is presented to the student who best displays the high standards of academic performance, naval war college activities, participation in civic and community service, and the promotion of military services in the public interest. For the College of Naval Warfare, the honor graduate for the November 2014 graduating class is Colonel Michael Getchell. Colonel Getchell, would you please come up to the stage to receive your award. Colonel Getchell is graduating number one in his College of Naval Warfare class and was a seminar leader all three trimesters. Along with the certificate, he is receiving an engraved Weems and Plath Compass from the Naval War College Foundation. His name will be added to the perpetual plaque of honor graduates. For the College of Naval Command and Staff, the honor graduate for the November 2014 graduating class is Lieutenant Commander Jason Buddy. Lieutenant Commander Buddy is graduating number one in his College of Naval Command and Staff class. He served as a seminar leader and was awarded the Marine Corps Association Award as a political leadership of a military at war. Along with the certificate, he's receiving an engraved Weems and Plath Compass from the Naval War College Foundation. His name will be added to the perpetual plaque of honor graduates. We'll now give our honor graduates a few moments to address their fellow graduates and classmates. Admiral Howe, Professor Spain, Professor Yossi Hara, the distinguished guests, faculty, fellow graduates, and your family members. Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to say some brief remarks today. To the faculty here at the Naval War College, thank you for the intellectually challenging us all. Today's world is complex as Professor Yossi Hara just pointed out to us once again. And this complexity presents leaders at all levels with many challenges. You have equipped each of us with a set of tools to help frame problems, analyze the different aspects of those problems, and likely solutions to those problems, and assess progress towards solving those problems. Beyond just thinking about problems and solutions, you've improved our ability to communicate our analysis and recommendations. Finally, you have introduced all of us to the phenomenal reach back capability here at the college. We are not alone when we face today's strategic challenges. And I for one, we want to phone a friend for a lifeline for assistance when I return to the force. To my fellow graduates, I, too, extend a heart of congratulations on a job well done. Today we return to the operational fleets and forces or the institutional side of the services or the joint staff. We return with new skills. Moreover, we return with new friendships and better understandings of what each service brings to the joint team. Build upon our professional relationships that were developed here. In terms of mission accomplishment, they'll serve you well. More importantly, they'll help you better take care of the soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, Coast Guardsmen that you'll lead. Finally, we cannot forget those classmates who were the uniform of another nation or that of the civil service. Our team is larger than a single service or the joint force itself, and includes other agencies, allies, and multinational partners. The skills and professional relationships we developed here will greatly assist us as we navigate this complex world. Best of luck to you all in your future endeavors, and thank you. Good afternoon. I just want to take this opportunity to thank the staff, the administration for providing a surprisingly wonderful experience here over the last year. Far superior to my last formal naval education at a small engineering school in Annapolis, Maryland, where I spent most of my time on restriction, and got one award for accumulating demerits, and that was about it. I really, really enjoyed this year, the education provided here, and I knew it was going to be different. I knew it was going to be special on day one. I showed up to my first class in strategy and warfare with two tremendous professors, Bradley and John Sheehan. They had assigned about 15,000 pages of reading, of which I accomplished about maybe 50%, but I did my best, and they started the class and said, we'd like everyone to share something they found interesting in the reading today. And I thought, all right, this is a thinly veiled attempt to see who did their homework and who didn't. But I had a good little antidote, so when it came to my turn, I said, I thought it was interesting that Clausewitz didn't fault Napoleon for invading Moscow. I mean, I'm just a helo-bubba, and I'm not a military expert, but that was one of the greatest military defeats in history. So I thought it was interesting that he didn't criticize Napoleon. And he said, given the situation, that might have been the only course of action for Napoleon, the best course of action. Well, I was patting myself on the back thinking, all right, I did my check in the box, and I can get ready for cocktail hour. I was interrupted by Commander Sheehan, who said, good, Jason, good, what should Napoleon have done? I didn't find that in the reading, and I quickly learned that they weren't trying to see who had done the reading. They were trying to see if we could take the lessons from the greats of old and apply them to problems and find new ways of thinking and new solutions. And I wasn't ready that day to answer that question, but I am now, and I want to thank all of you for helping me to do that. Thank you. A Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies will now be conferred to the graduates. Will the graduates please rise? Admiral Howe, will you please approach the podium? Admiral, I have the honor to present the November graduates of the Naval War College, candidates for the Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies. They have been thoroughly examined and approved by the faculty. By the power vested in me by the Secretary of the Navy, the accreditation of the New England Association of School and Colleges, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I confer upon you the appropriate degrees and diplomas in National Security and Strategic Studies. So, ladies and gentlemen, please join me with our applause in congratulating the November graduates of the Naval War College. Hold on. Thank you, Admiral. Graduates, please be seated. Beyond the requirements for graduation, certain individuals have distinguished themselves throughout through academic excellence. For those in the top 5%, they are receiving a diploma with highest distinction. Those in the next 15% will receive a diploma with distinction. Graduates will now receive their diplomas. Graduates, from the College of Naval Warfare, please proceed to the stage as your name is read. Guests are welcome to come forward to take photographs. Please try to hold your applause until all names have been read. Remember how, Professor Spain, Dr. Yoshihara, Dean Garrafano, if you would, please rise. Presenting the graduating members of the College of Naval Warfare and their next duty assignment. Commander Todd S. Byer, U.S. Navy, Center for Surface Combat Systems, Dahlgren, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander Ryan B. Billington, U.S. Navy. USS Howard, DDG-83, San Diego. Lieutenant Commander Christopher Robert Brenner, U.S. Navy, Joint Staff, Pentagon. Lieutenant Commander Robert Crosby, U.S. Navy, USS California, SSN-81, Broughton, Connecticut. Commander Joseph Ernest Dupree, U.S. Navy, Sacure, Mons, Belgium. Colonel Michael A. Getchell, U.S. Army, No. 1 in his class with highest distinction. Captain Sasan Gurani, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy. Walter Reed, National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. Colonel Christopher J. Kidd, U.S. Army, Naval War College faculty. Lieutenant Commander Justin R. Kish, U.S. Navy, with distinction. Joint Staff, Pentagon. Commander Karina Elizabeth Maloney, U.S. Navy, with distinction. Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans. Captain Eric Ross Rader, U.S. Navy, Naval Operations to Support Command, Alameda, California. Commander Julie L. Sellerberg, U.S. Navy, Naval Station, Newport. Colonel Thomas Michael Williams, U.S. Army, with distinction. U.S. Army Center for Excellence, Joint and Combined Integration Directorate, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Commander James T. Worthington III, U.S. Navy, Fourth Fleet, Mayport, Naval Station, Florida. Lieutenant Commander Matthew W. Wright, U.S. Navy, U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida. Presenting the graduating members of the College of Naval Command and Staff and their next duty assignment. Lieutenant Commander Jeremy Martin Bauer, U.S. Navy, with distinction. Joint Staff, Pentagon. Lieutenant Commander Scott C. Beatty, U.S. Navy, Defense Intelligence Agency, J2, Joint Ops Office, Arlington, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander James Paul Brassfield, U.S. Navy, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 2, Kanioa, Hawaii. Lieutenant Commander Jason Cater Buddy, U.S. Navy, with number one in his class, with highest distinction. U.S. Northern Command, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Major Paul E. Cacha, U.S. Army, NATO Communications and Information Systems Agency, Mons, Belgium. Major Thomas F. Carroll, U.S. Army, Army III Corps Headquarters, Fort Hood, Texas. Major Billy B. Cassidy, U.S. Army, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Jerome, New York. Lieutenant Commander Terrence Anthony Coleman, U.S. Navy, Carrier Stripe Group 15, Coronado, California. Lieutenant Commander Bradley Duke Coletti, U.S. Navy, USS Comstock, LSD-45, San Diego, California. Lieutenant Commander Ryan Patrick Canole, U.S. Navy, with distinction, SWAS Engineering Learning Site, San Diego, California. Lieutenant Commander Jason A. Dalby, U.S. Navy, Joint Staff J6C-4, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Lieutenant Commander Bart M. DiAngelo, U.S. Navy, CNO Strategic Studies Group, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. Lieutenant Commander Daniel P. M. Delacruz, U.S. Navy, with distinction, VFA 211, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander Theodore J. Elkins, U.S. Navy, Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command, Naples, Italy. Lieutenant Commander James W. Ewing III, U.S. Navy, USS Baton, LHD-5, Norfolk, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander Charles D. Fairbank, U.S. Navy, with distinction, Joint Staff, Pentagon. Lieutenant Commander Paige M. Fellini, U.S. Navy, Comnevere-Forest, Pacific, San Diego, California. Lieutenant Commander Giovanni Ferrero, Supply Corps, U.S. Navy, Cooperative Security Location, Camelapa, El Salvador. Lieutenant Commander Michael D. Fortenberry, U.S. Navy, CNO Strategic Studies Group, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. Major Jeremiah L. Fernia, U.S. Army, Fort Camel, Kentucky. Lieutenant Commander Jack A. Garcia, U.S. Navy, Joint Staff J. III, Arlington, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander Chad J. Herrigs, U.S. Navy, U.S. Strategic Command, Omaha, Nebraska. Lieutenant Commander Justin Hoff, U.S. Navy, Comte-Sub-Land, Norfolk, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander Cassandra Koistenen, U.S. Navy, U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany. Lieutenant Commander Brian Michael Lauber, U.S. Navy, with highest distinction, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander Michael Patrick Moniquea, U.S. Navy, with distinction, VFA 106 NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander Matthew V. Martin, U.S. Navy, U.S. Central Command, Tampa, Florida. Lieutenant Commander Donald E. McLeary, U.S. Navy, Six-Fleet Reserve Debt 802. Lieutenant Commander Sean William Merritt, U.S. Navy, U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida. Lieutenant Commander Thomas K. Morrow, U.S. Navy, Office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Financial Management and Comptroller, Arlington, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander Jason E. Mudge, U.S. Navy, Compact Fleet Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Lieutenant Commander Stephen J. C. Myers, U.S. Navy, Expeditionary Strike Group 7, White Beach, Okinawa, Japan. Lieutenant Commander Michael J. Manuel J. Pardo, U.S. Navy, U.S. Central Command, Tampa, Florida. Major Joshua David Porter, U.S. Army, Sock Scent, McDowell Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. Lieutenant Commander Michael J. Pine, U.S. Navy, with distinction, Op-Nav, N1, Arlington, Virginia. Lieutenant Commander Tara Alexander-Reefo, U.S. Navy, with distinction, Navy Inspector General's Office, Washington, D.C. Commander William D. Ciprioli, U.S. Navy, Navy Operational Support Center, Atlanta, Georgia. Lieutenant Anthony Octate-Thomas, U.S. Navy, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. Lieutenant Commander Gregory J. Thompson, U.S. Navy, USS Boxer, LHD-4, San Diego, California. Commander Stephen J. Tuck, U.S. Navy, Strategic Communications Wing 1, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey P. Wilhite, U.S. Navy, 10th Fleet, Fleet Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland. Lieutenant Commander Alicia R. Wright, U.S. Navy, Com-Car Strike Group 12, Norfolk, Virginia. The following students cannot attend today's ceremony. They are Commander Christopher J. Warden, with highest distinction, Captain Eric S. Irwin, Lieutenant Commander Brian S. Sauerhague, Commander Todd Daryl Zentner, and Major Ted D. Price, U.S. Army. Ladies and gentlemen, please join us in a round of applause for our graduates, honorees, and their families. Rear Admiral Howe will now issue the charge to the graduates. Admiral, if you would, please proceed to the podium. So it's now my honor to bring these proceedings to a close. First to Dr. Yoshihara, thank you for your thoughtful, meaningful remarks today, and for your continued scholarship here at the college. It's an honor to share the stage with you today. With the Naval War College faculty and staff, today we again witness the results of your efforts. For 130 years, you and your predecessors have labored to develop and educate the Navy's and our nation's leadership. And once again, you have succeeded producing yet another cohort of well-prepared leaders for the increasingly complex and challenging security environment we face. Thank you for your dedicated service to the nation. To the families, friends, and colleagues here today, thank you for joining us. Your presence not only makes this a more memorable ceremony for your graduate, but it rightfully recognizes the role you play in the accomplishments we celebrate. Life in the military is a team sport. Your love, your encouragement, your devotion helped our graduates maintain the proper mind, body, spirit balance as they went through their intellectual journey here in Newport. Thanks for your support. To the graduates, congratulations on completing your course of study here at the Naval War College. As you all head back to the operational forces and reflect upon your time here at Newport, I'd ask you to keep in mind three things. The gift you've been given, the responsibility that you have inherited, and the profession in which you serve. This year of in-residence education is truly a gift, a gift from the nation to you. As you continue to grow in rank and responsibility, I think you'll find that the most precious commodity is that of time. And you've just been given a whole year, a year of study, a year of reflection, a year to grow intellectually and prepare for the challenges that await. Don't take this gift for granted. And I'd offer that the best way to do that, to ensure that you don't take this gift for granted, is to acknowledge the responsibility that you have just inherited. And that is to critically and thoughtfully employ this education as you move forward. As you all head back into the operational world, back into the world of present shock where the strategic horizon gets compressed from decades and years to days and at times minutes. When your daily agenda will often be set by that morning's headlines and the morning email inbox. So as you come face to face with that world, you've got a responsibility to remain a strategically minded critical thinker. To proactively lead with independent creative thought and not just reactively survive with conventional wisdom or just doctrinal habits. So think, reflect, and lead. And finally as you depart today, keep in mind the profession in which you serve, the profession of arms. Never forget the trust this nation has placed in your hands as a member of this profession. Never forget your obligation to uphold that trust and never forget the professional ethic that guides our actions. Our actions at home, in garrison, in the field, and underway. Continue to grow as a true steward of that profession. Good luck. Godspeed and wish you all fair winds and following seas. Chaplain Rosander will now deliver the benediction. Please stand. Let us pray. Eternal God, for these men and women, a rigorous and challenging academic year is now at a close. But their voyage continues. As they go from here, serving on land, sea, or air, here and around the world, may their knowledge, skills, wisdom, and friendships be fully utilized in maintaining and spreading peace and security. Enable them with honor, courage, and commitment in all things, and protect them as they serve. I also ask that you watch over those who serve today in harm's way. Please be near to their loved ones and also to those recovering from the effects of war. Now, bless these men and women as they go forth to do great things. Thank you for the service they render to our nation. Please be with them and their families as they depart for new destinations and challenges. By your grace. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the departure of the official party. Thank you all for attending today's graduation. This concludes the ceremony.