 Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the change of command ceremony for the United States Naval War College where rear Admiral P. Gardner Howe III will be relieved as the president of the Naval War College by rear Admiral Jeffrey A. Harley. Our guest speaker today is the chief of Naval operations Admiral John Richardson. The official party will arrive in just a few moments. At this time I would ask that everyone turn off or silence your cell phones or communication devices. For those here who might be unfamiliar with the traditional change of command ceremony I'd like to explain some of the background for today's event. Fundamental guidance for the change of command aside from the long-established customs and traditions resides in U.S. Navy regulations. The 1865 edition of regulations for the government of the United States Navy, Article III, Section 1, Number 72 states, When an officer is appointed to the command of a single vessel he will make, in company with the commanding officer, a thorough personal examination of her and inform himself as to all her arrangements and preparations of equipment. After which the transfer is to be formally made in the presence of as many of her officers and crew as can be assembled, before whom his appointment is to be read. Today's event will follow the accepted traditions and customs of a Navy change of command ceremony. Specifically, at the appointed hour the outgoing Naval War College President Rear Admiral Howe and his relief, Rear Admiral Harley, along with our guest speaker, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson, will proceed to the stage together. The ceremony routine will include traditional side-boy honors, color guard, the singing of the national anthem, and an invocation and benediction. After a few brief remarks, the outgoing officer, Rear Admiral Howe, will read his orders of detachment. He will then turn to his relief and report, I am ready to be relieved. The relieving officer, Rear Admiral Harley, will step forward and read his orders to command after which he will salute Rear Admiral Howe and report, I relieve you, sir. They will both then report their relief to the Chief of Naval Operations. The new Naval War College President, Rear Admiral Harley, will then give his remarks. I will then ask everyone to stand for the benediction and the departure of the official party, which will conclude the ceremony. Today's ceremony will be uncovered for everyone in military uniform, except those in the official party. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the arrival of the official party, the parading of the colors, the singing of our national anthem, and the invocation. Staff, uh, tin, hoot. Boson, post the side boys. Rear Admiral, United States Navy, arriving. Naval War College, arriving. Naval Operations, arriving. Retire the side boys. Color guard, parade the colors. First Smith, Navy Band Northeast, will now sing our national anthem. Oh, say can you see by the dawn what so proud the twilight's last gleams brought stripes and bright stars. Almighty God, by the creed justice, who rules in all the kingdoms of men and gives them to whomsoever you will. We pause as we begin this ceremony to acknowledge your role in our history, in our lives, and in all our undertakings. In each generation, you have blessed America with selfless leaders who have defended our great nation from every threat that has risen against her. Today, we thank you for the faithful leadership. Rear Admiral Gardner Howe III is provided as 55th President, United States Naval War College, these past two years of challenge and change. Through his vision, guidance, and personal dedication to duty, you have challenged each of us to rise to the call of self-sacrificial leadership with honor, courage, and commitment. We are grateful for the service he and his wife, Erin, have rendered to our country and for their special place in our War College family. We ask that your blessing would go with them now as they leave us for new opportunities, responsibilities, and leadership in service to our great country and the Navy. As Rear Admiral Jeff Harley assumes command, we thank you for the experience, leadership, and character he brings to the office of President of the War College. We ask for him your guidance, wisdom, and help as he guides us through the challenges ahead. For those of us who follow his leadership enable us to give him our full loyalty and support. Bless his family and wife Cindy, grant them your presence, peace, and strength in the days to come. Bless these proceedings we pray with your presence, that we may be strengthened and equipped ready and willing to act according to every good purpose. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, the 55th President of the United States Naval War College, Rear Admiral P. Gardner-Howell III. Good morning everyone. I know I speak for Jeff when I say that he and I are both very, very pleased that you were all able to join us, family, and the Naval War College team for the Archangel Command Ceremony today here in Spruance Auditorium. Chaps, thanks for the very thoughtful invocation. And how about Navy Band Northeast and that heartfelt rendition of the National Anthem by Petty Officer Smith. So as I take a look across the RSVPs and those that have gathered here today, I am very, very impressed with the distinguished guests that have spent time with us, decided to spend time with us this morning. Jeff and I both intend to talk about family and friends that have gathered here in a few minutes, but I thought it would be worthwhile to just acknowledge some of the key leaders that have come today. So, you know, a more formal introduction in a few minutes, but thanks for presiding over today's ceremony. I know Admiral Burke and I think Fleet Beldo are here today. Thanks for showing up. Admiral Verma and his wife, Madhu. If you haven't met them yet, please do later at the reception. Admiral Verma was a former CNO of the Indian Navy, former Indian ambassador to Canada, and is now an international fellow on the faculty here at the college. Mr. Tyrone Smith is representing Senator Whitehouse from the U.S. Senate. Art Flora, bigotier general of the Rhode Island National Guard, representing our guard friends here in the state. Captain Dennis Boyer and his wife, Carrie, are here. The Naval Station CO, Captain Doug Noble, they're new, relative, very new. One week in the job of the CO of the Supply Corps School. I know Mike Doherty and his wife, Beth, are here. He's the CO of the Naval Academy Prep School. Mike Savigio, the CO of the Officer Training Command. Commander Dustin Smiley, the CO of the Operational Support Center here in Newport. Doctors Catherine McGrady and Eric Thompson are here from the Center for Naval Analysis. Mr. Ed Lazotti is here, representing President Somerson from the Rhode Island School of Design. And I'm sorry, Babette is here. Babette Alina is here from Rhode Island School of Design. And Mr. Lazotti here, representing Johnson and Wales and President Rooney. And then many members from the Naval War College Foundation, leaders and trustees. Admiral Hogg is here. Ambassador MacLennan, Steve Sider, Admiral Whistler, Happy Van Buren. Mr. Bowen, Mr. Peterson and John Otagard, thank you all for being here. If I fail to mention anyone that should have been mentioned in that list, my apologies. Please accept those apologies and just know that we are very, very grateful for your presence today. I think it's fair to say that one of the most significant lessons that the Naval Special Warfare Community, the soft community, the Navy has learned over the last 10, 15 years of conflict is that organizations and operations, they are most effective when they are fully integrated into a network, a network of support. Or to use the phrase that was coined by General McChrystal when organizations and operations are part of a team of teams. And when I think back of the experiences that I've had here over the last two years at the Naval War College, that's what it's felt like that we are a part of a team fully integrated into the local area, the region, and into the Navy. And I would offer that the leaders that have shown up today, dedicated their time, is representative of the strength of those relationships. And Jeff, I think it bodes well for the future too. So I move on to my main task right now, and that's to introduce our guest speaker, the 31st Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson. So the CNO was a 1982 graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy, a distinguished submarine officer. He was the recipient of the Vice Admiral Stockdale Award, the most distinguished leadership award that we have in the Navy. And he got that for his time in command of the USS Honolulu. And after Honolulu, he continued to serve with distinction in leadership positions. Commodore of Submarine Development Squadron 12, Commander Submarine Group 8, Commander Submarine Allied Forces South, Deputy Commander of U.S. Sixth Fleet, Chief of Staff of both Naval Forces Europe and Naval Forces Africa, Commander Naval Submarine Forces, and most recently, Continued Admiral Rickover's legacy as Director of Naval Reactors. And then in between all of that and some additional staff times, he was selected and served as the Naval Aid to the President. Got a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from this little university up north called MIT. And then got a Master's in National Security from a lesser known PME institution down south called the National War College. He's been serving as the 31st CNO since September of last year. And since then he has been leading our Navy's effort to confront the challenges that we face from rising and resurgent state actors at the same time we're confronting an increasingly complex and challenging world. And he's doing that with an absolute focus on warfighting readiness and our primary responsibility, maintaining maritime superiority. Sir, we're honored to have you preside over the ceremony today. Ladies and gentlemen, the 31st Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Richardson. Thank you, Admiral Howell. That was a far too generous introduction, but you did read it exactly as I wrote it, so I appreciate that. Well, good morning to everybody. What a wonderful place to be here this morning. Thank you all very much for joining and just to help us celebrate this absolutely terrific occasion and to celebrate an outstanding naval officer. I just add my welcome to Admiral Howell's for all our distinguished guests here today, particularly to our international partners for being here and as well to the families of both Admiral Howell and Admiral Harley. You know, there's been a lot of talk in the news lately about, you know, presidential succession. And finally here this morning at the Naval War College, we get to understand what all that talk is about. And, you know, actually there's only two presidents in the Navy. There's the president here at the Naval War College and there's the president of the Board of Inspection and Survey. And so in the spirit of presidential transition, I think we can say a couple of things. One, we're here to witness what I hope has been and will continue to be a peaceful transition of power. And I think we can also be very, very grateful that there was no campaign period at all. And that the transition period, we call it turnover, was short about, what was it, a two weeks week or so. So we can all be very grateful for that. But, you know, even as we express our gratitude that this is much more straightforward than the other presidential transition, we also know that there's so much more to this day that we need to be aware of. And if you think about the significance of the ceremony today, you know, what this means, the official part, you know, which was outlined for you before the arrival of the official party, that part could be done in many, many ways, right? I mean, literally, we could get Admiral Howe and Admiral Harley together in an office and they could read their orders, say the words that you'll hear later on today, exchange a salute, and it would all be done. And it would be completely official and it would be legitimate in every way. But that's not what we're doing here today. Instead of that, we are choosing to come together in our dress uniforms. And I think that we do this for very good reasons. I'd like to talk about three solid reasons that we do this in a public ceremony, vice in private. First, I would say that we are here to honor the import and the meaning of the ceremony itself. And in a time where we read so much about people fleeing accountability, we come together here to witness a salute. And in the exchange of that salute and a few words, so will transfer completely the authority, the accountability, and the responsibility of being the president of the Naval War College and running this flagstone institution from one person to another. And so we gather here to witness that transfer. Secondly, it allows us all to be present here and to be a witness of this formal passage of authority. And so with that, with our witness in public, there can be no doubt or ambiguity. We are here and this happens in front of our eyes. And so just as authority and accountability and responsibility transfer will transfer soon from Admiral Howe to Admiral Harley, so does our allegiance and our loyalty to the new boss. We will follow him now, and that's the way we do business. That's how our system works. And of course the third reason, just as important we are here today, is to celebrate Admiral Howe's absolutely terrific performance as the president of the Naval War College. You know, when we take command in our business, we take full ownership of that job and we act the best commanders act to the absolute limits of their authorities. And we welcome scrutiny, we welcome accountability. And these have been features of Admiral Howe's tenure here as the president of the Naval War College and these features rank among the most important attributes of our Navy team. It's not lost on me that we are also here in Newport at the Naval War College. What a distinguished institution, a national treasure. And I've got to say that in addition to those three very important reasons, I am here just to help celebrate and recognize the importance of this institution. The college's principal job is to educate tomorrow's Navy leaders and it has never done so better than it is doing today under the leadership of Admiral Howe. The students here build strategic relationships under the careful guidance and mentorship of the faculty. They build those relationships with people across the Navy. They build those relationships with leaders across the nation and indeed across the globe. These relationships, these strategic relationships, reverberate across our fleet. They make us a stronger Navy team both today and into the future. And it's also no coincidence that from our international community more than one third of those officers will make flag rank in their Navy's. They are here because they have tremendous talent, tremendous potential and they are integral to the Naval War College and to our U.S. Navy's future. They help us come together to bridge across nations and cultures to build those strong bonds of trust and confidence that will serve us in conflict and they provide essential diversity to our thinking. You know, the War College has a rich tradition of adapting to the demands of the security environment and it has never been more dynamic than it is today. And this, you know, the ability of the college to follow along that dynamism has never been more important. And I've spoken here before and in those other talks I've looked back on the history of the War College and described it in terms of three distinct periods, each one of which where the War College was on the leading edge of Navy reform. First, there was its founding period in 1884. The second period might be thought of as the interwar period, which was so fundamental to the development of the war plans that allowed us to fight and win in World War II, particularly in the Pacific. And then the third phase I would say is the period since Admiral Stansfield Turner got here and reformed the curriculum. And as I've said today, I get the serious sense that we are at the dawn of a fourth period in the War College's history, to which the Navy will be challenged to fight not only powerful nation-states, but also terrorists and transnational forces of violence and not only in sort of classic conflict, but in many other forms of competition, some of which are violent, but are just below the threshold of what we might want to call classic conflict. You know, for more than 130 years, the Naval War College has been the birthplace, the cradle, and the home of naval strategy, and it's clear that that role has been enhanced in the last two years under Admiral House leadership. And as we head back towards an era of great power competition, the Navy's maritime strategy will lead the direction of national strategy and become even more relevant than it is today, if you can even conceive of that. It seems that none of history's challenges go away. They just simply add on. They layer on complexity and they layer on demands for our Navy. Today, we can see this even more clearly. No crisis anymore is a regional conflict. Everything is at least transregional, if not global. Similarly, there is no such thing as simply surface warfare or undersea warfare. All of our fights are multi-dimensional, including space and cyber, which are two brand new dimensions that the previous generations of war college teachers and graduates did not have to wrestle with. And I would say that more than anyone else, Admiral Howe understood and grasped this complexity. He seized it by the horns and has taken the initiative to lead this great institution into our future. And so, that third reason, the reason we're here to celebrate the command of the absolutely terrific person, a commander, a leader, and a visionary. And I would say that this challenge would have spooked most people. They would just say, hey, forget about it. This is too complicated. I've got to leave the field to someone more capable. Admiral Howe has instead exerted that calm, cool approach that has characterized his service over the decades. Gardner, you faced the challenges of our time, the fastballs that our world is pitching to you, and you led your team into the breach. Of course, you kept the institution fair in the channel on its core missions, providing joint military education, master's degrees to the best officers from across our military. Similarly, your work making wargaming more responsive to fleet needs and accelerating our learning cycle from game to game was also absolutely crucial. And from the expansion of the global wargame series to the permanent establishment of wargames conducted at the highest classification levels to the new virtual community of practice, Gardner, you've built the framework by which we have developed new operational conflicts to manage this operational complexity. It's now an absolutely fertile environment for new ideas. But I've got to say that despite keeping the engines running and that joint professional military education solidly on track, despite the advances in wargaming and making them more responsive and more relevant, the thing I have to confess I am most impressed with is the work by Gardner and the team to advance the concepts of leader development. Admiral Howe defined and instilled in all of us the idea that our Navy is at the same time both a profession and an organization. And as a profession, we are defined by our values, honor, courage and commitment. I've got to confess to you that in an era of intense competition for people and for talent, we cannot offer in the Navy the huge salaries that the private sector can offer. Furthermore, beyond not being able to meet the salaries, we also ask tremendous sacrifices of both our sailors and our civilians. We demand a very high level of dedication. And despite these implications, pay and schedule, we fill our ranks, we meet our recruiting goals and we meet our retention goals. I brought the chief of naval personnel here personally just to check me on this. Am I right, Bob? All right, there you go. And so I believe more than anything else, our success in keeping our ranks manned is directly related to the value proposition that we make, that we offer our people the chance to be part of something bigger than themselves. And so that is why I have nothing but the highest respect for those who even in the midst of 10 to 15 years of continuous conflict, even as our people could make any choice they wanted to in terms of pursuing a career, they choose to raise their right hand, make an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States at tremendous personal sacrifice. That's because of the values we share as a profession. As an organization, we are defined by our behaviors, how we act each day, day in and day out, how we treat one another in a company and how we make decisions when nobody is looking. And a Navy that has integrity behaves in a manner that is consistent with their values. And this has been Gardner's key message to us. It was his influence and his personal inspiration that resulted in the inclusion of the core attributes of integrity, accountability, initiative and toughness in the design for maintaining maritime superiority. Those attributes Gardner reminded us as we were putting the document together serve as a litmus test for our behaviors. If we act consistently with those core attributes, we stand a much better chance of ensuring that our behavior is consistent with our values. And that is a Navy of integrity. And people with talent who are attracted by our values said they are also smart enough to detect a say-do mismatch in an instant. And the best of them will leave. But Gardner has reminded us how to keep our behaviors in line to be a Navy of integrity and to retain those special people. This is especially true and I think most effective in the context of fleet-centered leadership development. The idea of leaders engaging and building leaders in wardrooms, chiefs quarters and ready rooms, developing the next generation of our leaders by working closely over their shoulder on the deck plates across the fleet. A persistent focus on developing both competence and character. A force with clear-eyed stewardship of the profession of arms. All of this demonstrates that Admiral Howe has had his eye exactly on the right ball and has led his team. Bringing our Navy's leaders forward to meet this century's coming challenges. Gardner, I could not be more happy that you were on the job for the last two years. And I know that the War College is going to miss your energy, but I will tell you it was clear to me. You left it all on the field. You sprinted to the tape and you were crossing that finish line with absolutely nothing in reserve. You gave it all here. And you didn't do it alone. You know, they say, Erin, that behind every successful naval officer there is a surprise spouse. You have been the rock, the one who has kept the family ship on course, on speed, on track. Your full-hearted commitment here to the Navy, to our Navy families, to the War College families has shown in everything that you've done here. And I want to thank you for your dedication and your commitment to both the War College and to Gardner. It is just, as Gardner said, we are a team of teams and we could not do it without our family team. So I think we should all give Erin a huge round of applause. So, Gardner, we're so grateful for your leadership, you and Erin. But I also know you are turning over the reins to the best possible replacement in the United States Navy. Alba Harley comes with tremendous amount of experience, a gigantic intellect, and untapped energy. Jeff, welcome. Congratulations to you and Cindy to just a super exciting job. A job that is absolutely vital, and I know you both will be terrific. So welcome aboard. In conclusion, I just want to wish Gardner, you and Erin the very best. I hope that you get some time this summer to relax a little bit, come off the governor a little bit, play outside with Keela and Cato, or maybe peel them off the vice president or his detail. Who knows what's going to happen there on the observatory. I'm told that those dogs also need to burn off some energy. And you've become quite the amateur racer on one of the sailboats down at the marina. That reputation is spreading throughout the Navy like wildfire. And I hope you'll have time to practice taking commands instead of giving them one last time before you depart. I know that you'll be absolutely terrific at your next position, one that I am really looking forward to tracking you in. And I thank you both for your dedication here at the Naval War College. In closing, I just have one favor to ask everybody here. You know, we're going to, of course, celebrate this day. It's worthy in every respect of celebration. We're going to go to a reception and we're going to execute the rest of our day. And it's going to come to an end and we're going to go to bed. And I ask you all that as you put your heads down tonight, before you go to sleep, take a moment to say a quick prayer for Gardner and Aaron, for Jeff and Cindy, that they can continue on with the peace and success that has brought them to this point. And also keep in mind in your prayers, our Navy, our sailors, and all our servicemen deployed at sea around the world. Thank you all very much for your time and for attendance today. God bless the Naval War College, our Navy, and our nation. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, once again, the President of the United States Naval War College, Rear Admiral P. Gardner-Howell III. Good morning again, everyone. Admiral Richardson, distinguished guest family, friends, staff, faculty. Thanks again for joining us here today. Almost all changes of commands, I think, have a certain element of bitter sweetness to them. But for Aaron and I today, there's a lot of bitter sweetness in this ceremony. And that's mainly because of the way that this community has literally stolen our hearts. Newport and the Naval War College have connected with us in ways that were totally unexpected. We right now, we do have a sense of excitement for what might lie ahead for us, but it's mixed in with a much, much stronger sense of sadness as we get ready to leave this institution and this area. This is a superb command, and I'm very, very proud to be a member. Proud of the college's legacy, proud of where the college is today, and proud of where the college is going. The importance of education, formal education, graduate-level education in the profession of arms, the importance is more clear to me than ever before in my career. We will not train our way to success in today's environment, nor will we train our way to be able to meet all of tomorrow's challenges. Training is, and it will remain a critical component of developing leaders, and it is absolutely essential to developing tactical competencies, but training is not enough. We have got to understand how to apply those competencies within the context of this dynamic, complex and challenging world, and that requires education. Only through focused education are we going to be able to inculcate the character and the critical thinking skills that are necessary to develop those leaders that are ready to thrive, not survive, thrive in chaos and complexity. And so to the Naval War College team, to the incredibly talented faculty, and the incredibly supportive and capable staff, thanks for all of your efforts day in, day out to develop just such leaders, leaders that are strategically minded, leaders with absolute critical thinking skills, leaders that are able to operate effectively in this increasingly dangerous world today and are ready for those challenges tomorrow. From facilities to the deans and everyone in between, your professionalism and your dedication, it has been inspiring and it has resulted in a real impact on our Navy. It's been an honor to serve with you as the President. I've enjoyed every minute of being on this team. So as the CNO said, I can think of no other officer in the United States Navy that is more excited or more well prepared to take over the reins here at the college than rear Admiral Jeff Harley. Jeff has had a diverse operational and intellectual background and experiences absolutely perfect for guiding an education institution focused on a complex world. We've been joking around a little bit recently stating that if it was up to Jeff and Cindy, I think Aaron and I would have had to have been out of here about four or five months ago. He is chomping at the bits to take the reins here and I know that he's absolutely ready to go. Jeff, I wish you and Cindy the very, very best of luck here and I hope that you guys enjoy this time here as much as we did. Before reading the orders, I'd like to express some appreciation to some of the key folks that are here, folks that have had an impact on the college or on my personal and professional life. CNO first, I'd like to thank you and your predecessor, CNO Greenert for extending the trust and confidence that you did to bring a seal to the Naval War College and gave me the opportunity to serve as the president of this institution. You're a role model for me, sir. You've shown the entire Navy what Wright looks like. I'll do my best to continue to live up to that. To the leaders of state, regional, local, communities and academic institutions that are here, the stellar reputation of this college across DoD and the Joint Force, it is due in no small measure to the incredible hospitality and the support of the local constituencies here. Thanks for your outreach and support of the college and our students. We are a team of teams and it makes Rhode Island stronger. To the Naval War College Foundation, I'd like you for all you do to support both the legacy and the future of this institution all year across all aspects of the campus. You provide this college what we like to refer to as that margin of excellence. We would not be as successful as we are today if it wasn't, if we didn't have the professional relationship we do with the foundation. So please pass my thanks to all the members that aren't here today. A quick shift to some families and friends that are here. To my sister Anna, she is a recently retired member of the Senior Intelligence Service completing a distinguished career at the CIA. So she's my younger sister but I've spent the best part of my life trying to catch up with her. So now that she's retired but I might have an opportunity to continue serving, I might be able to do that. But sis, thanks for being here for your love and support throughout the years. I know that Anna would not have achieved what she did nor would I have achieved what I have been able to do without the support and upbringing that I got from my parents. For my very, very earliest memories they taught me and my little brother, Warren. They taught us the value of honesty and hard work and the importance of service and they couldn't be with us here today but I know that they're here in spirit as they have been absolutely throughout my life and for that I will be ever thankful. To my aunt and uncle, Carter and Margaret were able to drive up from Florida and more recently from Connecticut into the Cousin Hopkins. Thank you all for being here today and sharing it with Aaron and I. Commander James Marvin and his wife Joanna, it's great to have the Unit 3 team together again however briefly. James, I've said it before but you have shaped my thinking and my leadership approach in ways that you don't know. I'll forever be grateful for that. And I want to thank you too for your continued service to the nation and all that you do in private sector now and we'll be friends forever. So about, yeah, just about 36 years ago in the summer of 1980 about a thousand, maybe a little bit more than a thousand young adults reported to Annapolis, Maryland and the Naval Academy and started Plebe Summer. And I spent that summer in the next four years with the members of 35th Company at the United States Naval Academy and very surprisingly but awesome for me four members of the class of 35, class of 84, 35th Company ended up being here today to share today with us. So JJ Jordan, my roommate from that very, very first day in the Navy, very first day in the Navy and his wife Jeanette, Wade and Townley are here, Chris and his fiancee Denise and Bombs. Bombs was my last roommate, my kind of rugby, my rugby brother and probably one of the more negative impacts on my life over the course of the years. But we have survived. Great memories, great, great, great memories. I'm humbled that y'all were all here and I would just ask everyone, especially the CNO and the reception, if there's any stories come, I'll take them all with a huge grain of salt from this group. To the local sailing community, our Navy Yacht Club, Bento Solare, Frostbiders and Halsey Hershoff. Thank you all for making sailing such an enjoyable part of Erin and my experience here in Newport. Thank you guys have had a significant impact on our lives. There's been a little bit of a sailing gene that's lying dormant for so many years but we got back to the Narragansett, spilled some Narragansett water on it and it came alive. We look forward to getting back to these waters someday, flying kites, maybe having a cocktail, pointing high, winning races with all of you. Thanks for being here today. And then finally just a thanks to my best friend and to my soulmate, E. So throughout the career and other jobs before, lots of good times, some tough times too, but she has been a steady, steady element of support throughout all of those times and I've said it before, E. I'm a better person and a better officer because of you and my life. Thanks for the difficult times and I'm looking forward to whatever the future is going to hold for us. And as a very small token of my appreciation, let me present you with just these flowers. Thank you, sweetie. So Chairman Dempsey, the former, yeah, General Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. So he once identified leadership, the leadership of the United States military as our nation's incalculable, asymmetric and competitive advantage over our adversaries. It's a powerful statement but I think it underscores the absolute importance of what this institution does. And what it has continued to do over the course of its 132-year history and great tradition of educating and developing that very leadership. Let me close once more by just stating how honored and humbled I am to have been part of that tradition. Thank you all again. May God bless you, the Naval War College, United States Navy and the United States of America. So I will now read my orders. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise. Military guests, attention to orders. CNO Order 1396, when directed by reporting senior, detach in August 2016 from duty as president of the Naval War College. Report not later than September 2016 for duty at the Chief of Naval Operations Staff. Chief of Staff, hold down my flag. Aye, aye, sir. Master Chief, hold down rear Admiral House flag. Admiral Hawley, I'm ready to be relieved. I will now read my orders. From the Chief of Naval Operations to rear Admiral Jeffrey A. Harley, subject CNO Order 1336. When directed, detach as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations Plans and Strategy and report to President of the United States Naval War College as his relief. Chief of Staff, break my flag. Aye, aye, sir. Master Chief, break rear Admiral Harley's flag. Flag has been broken. Very well. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. It is my pleasure to introduce the 56th President of the United States Naval War College, rear Admiral Jeffrey A. Harley. CNO Distinguished guests, friends and family, I am thankful for everyone's presence today at this time honored tradition. I am grateful to so many. I stand on the shoulders of many of you here in this audience, but I'm especially grateful to Gardner Howe for his tireless leadership and extraordinary accomplishments during his tenure as the President of the War College. I should, of course, mention the extraordinary contributions of the Naval War College Foundation to the great success of this college. I'm also very blessed to have my family here, my wife and life navigator, Cindy. I love you. My daughter who is here in spirit since she has her dream job and is designing theme parks at Universal Creative in Florida. My Aunt Becky is here from Georgia with her grandson, midshipman Alex Parker, the future of our great Navy. My brother Charles and Mary Thomas are here from Georgia. My mom and sister and my dad are no longer here, but no doubt watching from the golden fields of heaven. I'm also blessed by so many friends who are like family to me. My childhood friend Mike Edwards is here from Michigan. Shipmates Bob Vince from my first ship, Samuel Elliott Morrison. Leo Gracili from USS David R. Ray. Mary Lou Taylor, a friend in her own right, but representing her husband Captain Rob Taylor from USS Cowpens and USS Samuel Elliott Morrison. Crispin Rowe is here from Maine. He was on my first command at USS Milius. Admiral Mike Mann from Deep Blue. Dr. Eric Thompson from the Center for Naval Analysis. Joined here as well by the president of the Center for Naval Analysis, Dr. Catherine McGrady. Bless you for your incredible contributions to our naval service. Hedy Henderson, who is one of the greatest minds of our time is here. Worked with her in U.S. Central Command. Truly extraordinary. My Mandarin tutor, my Lauscha Amy, who did her best to teach an old dog Mandarin this last year and a half. Me how Amy? How's your bougie in? And depending on the tonals I either said, long time no see or the iguana is in my car. I am sadly sure there are other friends I have failed to mention and I ask your forgiveness as my old eyes simply fail me. Again, we're honored by everyone's presence and any success I have shared is truly yours. Bless you all for your service and sacrifice. I am truly humbled to become the 56th president of the United States Naval War College and I am honored to join a great team in this critical mission. To the War College team, I'm delighted to be in the arena with you to carry on the extraordinary work and contributions of this unmatched institution. As the CNO said, ours is a complex and dangerous time. But as President Teddy Roosevelt said, it is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who's actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of his achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold, intimate souls who neither know victory nor defeat. And so, being thankful, grateful, honored, humbled, delight, blessed, let us dare greatly together. God bless America and God bless us everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the benediction. Let us pray. Almighty God, as we begin this new era of leadership, we ask for your benediction to rest upon us for continued success in our mission and safety in all our operations. As you have graciously preserved our nation through the years and have led us in wondrous ways, grant that we may be worthy of our high calling. Make us reverent in the use of freedom, just in the exercise of power, and generous in the protection of those less fortunate. Inspire the men and women who direct our Navy so that they may guide it wisely and well, especially do we pray for our former commanding officer as he moves to new responsibilities and for our new commanding officer. Grant them in all their duties your help, in all their perplexities your counsel, in all danger your protection, in all sorrow your peace. Challenge each of us to recommit ourselves to the high principles of honor, courage and commitment for whether it is ours to lead or to follow, to end or to begin. We know that you are there besides us, oh God, and for your faithfulness we give you thanks. Amen. Please remain standing for the departure of the official party. Post and post aside, boys. Naval operations, departing. United States Navy, departing. Naval War College, departing. This concludes today's ceremony. Guests are cordially invited to attend a reception in Spruance Lobby and Culbert Plaza. Thank you.