 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the U.S. Naval War College graduation ceremony. I'm Captain Cindy Diederly, the Dean of Students, and will be serving as the emcee for today's ceremony. You're welcome to take pictures at any time. We have official photographers taking pictures today and you will find those photos posted on our Flickr site for you to download. At this time, as a courtesy, please put your cell phones on silent or vibrate. Please remain seated for the student procession. Please rise and remain standing for the arrival of the official party, national anthem, and the invocation. The national anthem will be sung by musician second class Rachel Vanell from the Navy Band Northeast. O say can what's so proud Who has brought stripes and bright stars. Commander Richard Smothers, Command Chaplain Naval Station Newport will deliver the invocation. Let us pray. Everyone to whom much was given of them much will be required and from them to whom they entrusted much, they will demand more. Lord gathered here today as faculty, staff, and family of the Naval War College, we're grateful for the privilege of serving others. As these graduates from across our nation and across the world complete the season of learning, we thank you for each of them. May they and their loved ones experience great encouragement because of their time aboard. May each of these learner leaders be more deeply committed to serving with honor, skill, devotion, and wise judgment. We give thanks today for the Naval War College team of staff, researchers, instructors, and students. May their efforts bear much fruit for just and noble service in years to come. Lord now bless those who will speak in this hour. May their words challenge and empower us to be men and women of integrity, zeal, honor, and fidelity. We ask these blessings humbly and gratefully in your mighty name. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. It gives me great pleasure to introduce the members of our official party. Colonel Jay Schnelle, Deputy Dean, Center for Naval Warfare Studies. Professor William Nult, Deputy Dean, College of Leadership and Ethics. Professor Walt Wildemann, Dean, College of Distance Education. Professor Thomas Mangold, Dean, International Programs and Maritime Security Cooperation. Dr. Phil Han, Dean of Academics. Dr. Jay Hickey, Interim Provost, United States Naval War College. Ambassador retired John A. Cloud and Rear Admiral Shoshana S. Chatfield, the 57th President of the United States Naval War College. Admiral Chatfield and Ambassador Cloud, would you please step forward? Ambassador Cloud is being awarded Professor Emeritus, National Security Affairs. The President, U.S. Naval War College, takes pride in appointing John A. Cloud as Professor Emeritus in recognition of your long and dedicated service to the United States Naval War College as Professor of National Security Affairs. It is my honor to confirm your appointment as Professor Emeritus on this date, the 9th of November, 2021, signed Shoshana S. Chatfield, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy, President, U.S. Naval War College. Admiral Chatfield, Interim Provost Hickey, graduates, most importantly, and to all my colleagues, it is my great pleasure to be with you today. I want to congratulate all of the graduates for successfully receiving your master's degree from the U.S. Naval War College. I appreciate the hard work that was required to complete this program. I'm certain that what you have learned here and the new colleagues you have made will serve you well during the remainder of your government and military careers and beyond. I also want to congratulate your families. I think we all know, particularly those who move our families around the world, that we couldn't do it without them. I also want to acknowledge that your time in Newport was not normal. Many of you had two trimesters with remote teaching, even though you moved here. You met your professors and colleagues through Zoom and Zoom teams or Blackboard. You and your family were isolated in a new city, but you made the most of it. This last semester was different, hopefully more normal for a Newport experience. I hope you and your family were able to enjoy that. Most importantly, you succeeded in the Naval War College program as demonstrated by your presence here today. One of the themes that went through all three of your core courses was the interagency or the quote, bowl of government, unquote. As you could read, most of my professional experience was in the U.S. Foreign Service. I served as a U.S. diplomat for over 30 years. I want to talk briefly about diplomacy here today and, you know, based on particularly one of my experiences as a diplomat. First there are many similarities between the Foreign Service and the U.S. military. The Foreign Service also has an upper-out personnel system. We have frequent moves and we very much depend on our oath as officers of the United States. There are also significant differences. In general, we are not putting our lives as directly at risk as some of you. We do face risks. Today, diplomats and other U.S. government personnel, mainly serving overseas, are confronted with a strange illness that has been called the Havana syndrome. Ambassador Chris Stevens' death, as well as that of three other U.S. government officials serving with him in Benghazi in 2012, is another example of those risks. In addition, we are present around the world continuously, sometimes in hostile environments. U.S. diplomats are responsible for overseeing the wide range of U.S. interests in the country. We work closely with the Department of Defense on national security issues. But we also look over economic trade, science, technology, as well as the situation of American citizens in those countries. We manage the platform that U.S. government agencies, including some parts of DOD, operate from. We issue U.S. passports and U.S. visas, and we present and represent the United States to the host government and the host public. Diplomacy can be the low-cost, low-risk way to resolve national security challenges. At the same time, it's not a magic formula, and it doesn't always work. In diplomacy, fundamentally, we use words rather than weapons to advance U.S. national interests. Our job is to persuade others to support U.S. positions, whether in a vote at the UN or some other international body, or in a more discreet issue. When I served as ambassador to Lithuania, Lithuania forces were deployed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The highest levels of our government appreciated this, this Lithuania involvement. We wanted them to say one of my responsibilities was to ensure that Lithuania realized how much the United States appreciated its support. Now, when I talk about diplomacy, I want to be clear. The Defense Department and the U.S. military are also involved in diplomacy. Regional combatant commanders are active participants in U.S. diplomacy in their geographic regions. While I was in Lithuania, both the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs visited the country on what were partially diplomatic missions. However, they concentrated on the national security aspects of diplomacy. As ambassador, I had to concentrate on those issues as well as other U.S. national interests. And concentrating on the national security aspects of our national interests, I was ably supported by a very top DOD team with the U.S. Defense Ateche, the Naval Ateche, and the Chief of the Office of Defense Corporation. They supported me and supported particularly the embassy's political section, and it just shows what that embassies are really an interagency melting pot. One of the key issues I worked on in my diplomatic career, which came about when I was about the equivalent of an 05, was the end of the Cold War and the emergence of democracy and market economies in Central and Eastern Europe. From 1989 to 1991, I was assigned as the State Department's Economic Desk Officer for Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. And yes, Czech and Slovakia were one country at that time. In fact, I began this job the same week the Independent Solidarity Trade Union entered into an agreement with the then Communist government of Poland that brought democracy and a market economy to that country. The Bush administration was very active in supporting the efforts of these countries to transform themselves into democracies and free market economies. I should clarify that was the first Bush administration. My colleagues and I were tasked with trying to find ways by which we could support these efforts. In Poland, this meant supporting solidarity, which was the voice of the opposition, encouraging the development of the private sector, whether business or non-governmental organizations, and encouraging its economists to find ways to resolve its overwhelming economic difficulties. We worked to support these efforts initially in Poland and Hungary and then in all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. A separate effort was eventually undertaken in the countries that had previously made up the Soviet Union. We normalized relations with these countries, thereby permitting foreign assistance to flow to them, and a little idiosyncrasy of U.S. law. We had to declare, though the Secretary of State had to declare that these countries were not dominated or controlled by the international communist movement. Which from the 1950s, in order for them to be recipients of U.S. foreign assistance. In the process of doing this, I learned that John Foster Dulles had done that for Poland in 1956. So John Foster Dulles, the great combatant against communism, saw something in Poland going back that far. With these countries quickly turning to more democratic governments, we were able to work cooperatively with the host governments on these programs. We also worked with our friends and allies to ensure that these governments had the resources necessary to transform their economies. It is interesting that in the early years of this effort, 1989, 1990, 1991, the Defense Department was not a major player. Our interaction with these countries was more focused on democratic reforms and economic progress. DOD had, of course, been a major player throughout the Cold War, but DOD's involvement increased again as these countries began to see NATO enlargement as a requirement for their success. And I returned to Poland in 1995, and at that point, the work with DOD on whether these countries would qualify for NATO membership became some of the main focal point of the embassy. One aspect of this effort was the work done at the highest levels by President Borch, Secretary of State Baker, and others to try to convince the Soviet Union and then Russia that they would not be, that they would be best placed for the future if they worked with the United States in this effort, not against us. The process of German unification alone, just a part of the end of the Cold War, required many diplomatic interventions with Soviet leadership. They required a level of interaction between the two leaderships that had been unheard of during the Cold War. The Bush administration was very mindful that Russia would remain a major player and needed a global role. To put it simply, Russia would remain a major nuclear power in the post-Cold War world. Russia's size and its influence over large parts of Central and Eastern Europe might be in sharp decline. But the United States had to deal with a competitor whose power was declining, but which still remained a major nuclear power and which believed it deserved respect. The United States took steps to ensure Russia had a voice on global security matters by the creation of the NATO Russia Council and other organizations. Unfortunately, Russia did not come to believe that this role was sufficient enough, given its remaining power and influence. And just last month, Russia announced that it would break its ties with NATO that were begun in this period. One could consider that this, the opposite of Graham Allison's much-discussed Thucydides trap, where rising power threatens the entrenched power. In this case, our problem was a declining power, a declining power that still had nuclear weapons, but which would no longer play the role in the world it had played up until that time. The Bush administration, then the Clinton administration, worked, as I said, to ensure Russia was comfortable in its place using diplomacy. And in retrospect, one can argue this bought us 20 to 30 years. It did not buy us a solution that was going to go on forever. But it did solve the immediate problems and ended the Cold War peacefully and without military use of military force. In conclusion, the United States and other countries have many approaches they can use to try to resolve national security. We, of course, talk frequently about the dime here at the Naval War College. It's important to remember that frequently the components of the dime are used together, not in isolation. In this case, the United States used diplomacy and economic support as its primary tools. Our military was there and it was available, but fortunately it was not needed. So thank you. And again, my congratulations on your graduation. Ambassador Cloud, on behalf of the students, staff, and faculty, I thank you for your comments 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. Recipients of this award are chosen based on their outstanding achievement across a spectrum of disciplines, including academic performance, participation in Naval War College activities, participation in civic and community activities, and promotion of armed government services in the public interest. For the College of Naval Warfare, the honor graduate of the November 2021 graduating class is Colonel Thomas Severtz, United States Marine Corps. Colonel Severtz is unable to be here today. Colonel Severtz finished number one of 14 academically. He was a JMO Seminar 12 academic rep and participated in the President's Cup golf tournament. He was active in raising funds for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. A $5,000 scholarship in his name was awarded to a university student on 30 August 2021. In addition, he volunteered 40 hours with the Salvation Army. Along with a certificate, the Naval War College will be presenting him my Weems and Plath Compass, kindly gifted by the Naval War College Foundation. For the College of Naval Command and Staff, the honor graduate for the 2021 graduating class is Lieutenant Commander Mohamed Furkan, United States Navy. Lieutenant Commander Furkan, please come to the stage to receive your award. The Lieutenant Commander Furkan finished number one of 35 academically. He was the TSDM Seminar 7 IT rep and recipient of the 2021 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Research Honor Award. Additionally, in September, he earned an NPS Graduate Certificate in Systems Analysis and NPS Graduate of NS 4000 Seminar Great Power Competition. Along with a certificate, the Naval War College will be presenting him a Weems and Plath Compass, kindly gifted by the Naval War College Foundation. We will now give Lieutenant Commander Furkan a few moments to address his fellow graduates and classmates. Ambassador Cloud, I'm a child-filled, esteemed Falconian staff, fellow students, family and distinguished guests. I want to start by saying it is an honor to receive this recognition. Verbus Marie Victoria, victory by sea power. These are the words inscribed on the crests of the War College, but they were not scratched the surface of all we learn here. But we do dive deeply into joint maritime operations. We also delve into the depths of national security, policy, international relations, and the very roots of war itself. As Admiral Turner relayed to the 1972 War College class at their invocation, the purpose of this institution is not to prepare us for our next tours in duty. Rather, it is learning how to make good decisions. We have learned to improve our reasoning, logic, and analysis, not to memorize data. It should go without saying why this is such an essential skill, but it bears repeating. This is the first in-person graduation that the War College has held since March of 2020. Since that time, many rules and policies have been implemented that have been vigorously debated and even opposed. Many questions have become front and center. Where is the line between individual freedom and collective responsibility? What does it mean to live in a society? What is a fact? In our time here at the War College, we have learned how to handle issues like these. This institution has better armed us. It has better armed us all to operate within a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment. It has given us the tools, not just to identify when a question should be asked, but also to know what questions you need asking. For this, I say thank you to the faculty and staff of the US Naval War College. And to my fellow students, I say thank you as well, for it is a truism here that we learned just as much from each other as we learned from the instructors. As we all start our post-war college careers, I just want to wish everyone fair winds and following seas. Thank you. A Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies, or Defense and Strategic Studies, as appropriate, will now be conferred to the graduates. Will the graduates please rise and remain in place? Bear Admiral Chatfield, please approach the podium. Admiral, I have the honor to present the November graduates of the US Naval War College, candidates for the Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies, or Defense and Strategic Studies. They have been thoroughly examined and approved by the faculty. By the power vested in me, by the Congress of the United States, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the New England Commission of Higher Education, I confer upon you the appropriate degrees and diplomas from the United States Naval War College, with all the honors, rights, and privileges pertaining there too. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in saluting with our applause the November 2021 graduates of the United States Naval War College. Thank you, Admiral. Graduates, please be seated. Beyond the requirements for graduation, certain individuals have distinguished themselves 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, please proceed to the stage as your name is read. Guests are welcome to come forward to take pictures. Please try to hold your applause until all names have been read. Bear Admiral Chatfield, Ambassador Cloud, Dr. Hickey, and Dean Han, please rise. Presenting the graduating members of the College of Naval Warfare. Lieutenant Colonel Andrea Bowers, US Army Reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Chang, US Army Reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Ann Demepan, US Army Reserve. Colonel Eric DiNoto, US Army National Guard. Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Gonzalez-Figueroa, US Army Reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Phoebe Inigo, US Army National Guard, with distinction. Colonel Steven McComis, US Army Reserve. Commander James Paffenroth, US Navy. Lieutenant Colonel Chad Pittman, US Army National Guard, with distinction. Colonel Tracy Schmidt, US Army Reserve. Colonel Tiffany Snead, US Army National Guard. Lieutenant Colonel Jason Steinkamp, US Army National Guard. Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Wolf, US Army National Guard. Presenting the graduating members of the College of Naval Command and Staff. Major Valentin Bosa, US Army. Lieutenant Commander Evita Burks, US Navy. Major Anthony Chung, US Army. Lieutenant Commander Mark Deguzman, US Navy. Lieutenant Commander Bo Doran, US Navy. Commander Victor Dino, US Navy, with distinction. Major Brian Ellis, US Army. Major Travis Embry-Martin, US Army. Lieutenant Commander Muhammad Furkan, US Navy, with highest distinction. Lieutenant Commander Brea Gibson, US Navy, with distinction. Lieutenant Commander John Gibson, US Navy. Commander Dana Gilmore, US Navy, with distinction. Lieutenant Commander Michael Herron, US Navy. Lieutenant Commander Joseph Jacobs, US Navy. Lieutenant Commander Colleen Johnson, US Navy. Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Kane, US Navy. Lieutenant Michael Kirkpatrick, US Navy. Lieutenant Chris Linich, US Navy, with highest distinction. Lieutenant Commander David Mangus, US Navy, with distinction. Lieutenant Commander Kevin Mazzella, US Navy. Major Rebecca Miller, US Army Reserve. Commander Robert Meyes, US Navy. Lieutenant Commander Niles Murphy, US Navy. Major Dominica Neely, US Army Reserve. Commander Benjamin Nurke, US Navy. Major Yulia Omorov, US Marine Corps, with distinction. Commander Dana Potak, US Navy. Lieutenant Commander John Puckett, US Navy. Commander Andrew Recame, US Navy. Commander Brian Sparks, US Navy. Major Vaughn Spence, US Army National Guard. Major Trey Tidwell, US Army. Major Michael Van Orden, US Army. Major Daniel Wilkes, US Army. And Lieutenant Commander Aaron Scheckman, US Navy, with distinction. Rear Admiral Chatfield will now issue the charge to the graduates. Admiral? What a great day. Well, I'd like to also say, please join me in congratulating the graduates of the United States Naval War College Fall Class of 2021 and their families. I'd also like to offer my congratulations to Ambassador Cloud for your selection as Professor Emeritus, National Security Affairs. Thank you so much for your remarks to our graduates. We greatly appreciate your message. And you gave us some valuable insights and historic context as our graduates move on to greater levels of responsibility within the Department of Defense, the interagency, and interact with the militaries of our partner nations. I want to also recognize our distinguished guests with us in the front row today. Thank you so much to our CNO, Distinguished International Fellows, Admiral Barrera, Admiral Verma, Admiral Saunders. You enrich our program, and we are grateful for your long and continued dedication to our college's mission. You bring us a tremendous perspective. Also in the front row today, representing our Naval War College Foundation, Chief Executive Officer George Lang. I want to thank you, your dedicated staff, and all the community-minded members. You've been very generous, and you've given us so much of your attention this year. Your gifts have provided critical funding that have enriched and enhanced the programs and initiatives that are offered by this college to our students. Thank you. To our interim provost and our outstanding faculty and our dedicated staff, all the members of this wonderful college community, together, you keep this institution on a track to be world-class in everything that we do, all of our education, our research, and our outreach. You are absolutely extraordinary. And over the past two years, you have weathered a great deal of change and made improvements and modifications to our already superb program. I'm grateful for that support. And on a day like today, as we look at these students who are preparing to return to their operational specialties, we also remember those things that dedicate us in our lives to education and continuous learning. It's a tremendous profession to be in, and I commend you all. And now to our dedicated military families. And those loved ones that have spent so much time supporting our students. Your love and endurance is what enables these warfighters the ability to protect and serve our great nation. We know that the pandemic affected and continues to affect your daily quality of life. And with COVID came difficult decisions and transitions that you might not have otherwise chosen. For those of you who accompanied your student, I hope that this year in Newport has been a welcome break, a much deserved reprive for you and for your families here in the great state of Rhode Island. For those of you who supported your student from afar, we know that this separation added some stress and that you missed those personal touches that only come with face to face daily interaction. Thank all of you for supporting your service members through their studies and this challenging year. And thank you for your commitment to the success of our service members and our efforts on behalf of this great nation. And now to the class of 2021. Congratulations. You're now graduates of the United States Naval War College. It's, quote, a place of original research on all questions relating to war and the statesmanship connected to war or the prevention of war, end quotes. That was first described by our founding father, Rear Admiral Stephen B. Loos, recently inducted into the Sailing Hall of Fame and that just solidifies his impact and this college's impact on our national security. For the last year, you all have been part of this college's great mission. You know, we're committed to our education, our research and our outreach. And it's now your turn. Take this as a responsibility that you now have as part of this community as you return to the dynamic security environment. You've been provided with a new set of tools. They've been freshly honed with all of those interactions with family and each other. And we expect you to use them as you prepare and anticipate the future. Your new skill set can strengthen our foundations of peace and when needed, might be the very thing that creates a decisive war fighting advantage for the United States, our maritime partners and allies. Our United States is a maritime nation. Our security and prosperity depend on the seas. President Biden in his March 2021 Interim National Security Guidance stated that our world is at an inflection point. The United States must renew its enduring advantages so that we can meet today's challenges from a position of strength. And we heard from our 78th Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Carlos Del Toro. He's identified the most pressing issues facing the Department of Navy. He called them the Four Seas, China, Culture, Climate and COVID. And as I've been preparing for speeches this month, I thought I should surely include the Secretary of the Navy's Four Seas. So I made a note of it and I wrote them down. And wouldn't you know I came up with three and I was racking my brain. For what is that fourth sea? And strangely, it was COVID. It had somehow moved from worst case to sort of most likely in my mind and had been addressed with such rigor and vigor here in this community. Our initial response, your efforts to maintain physical distancing, wearing the mask and then proceeding to take our vaccines to slow the spread and stop the transmission rate. I wanna thank all of you and all of our faculty and staff who worked so hard on those mitigations that allowed us to return to a ceremony today where we are in community together celebrating something that is so valuable individually and collectively to our success. Thank you. Our maritime service chiefs have committed to working together to build lead and advanced a rules-based international system through shared commitments with our allies and partners. To maintain a naval force that is ready to defend our shores, maintain sea control and protect our national security and economic interests. Graduates, you are being asked to expand your capabilities and capacities while building a strong worldwide network of maritime partnerships united in common purpose and a relentless drive to anticipate, think creatively and lead through change. Your careers as service members have been filled so far with predictably and unpredictably events or predictable and unpredictable events. This year has delivered momentous change to us all. And yet in this dynamic world, our understanding of how to frame problems can be leveraged for good. Our leaders have made clear that continuous learning is a key strategic enabler. It's an enabler to the success of our fighting forces, to the success of our interagency and to the success of our international partners. Therefore, this year and your investment in your education is also a direct investment into gaining war fighting advantages and advances in our sea power mission. Our soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen are our most important elements of this war fighting advantage. Every single one of our service members brings different and special contributions to the team. Cultivating, high-performing and an innovative workforce built on the foundations of diversity and inclusion starts at the top. You will carry this out. You are our frontline leaders. Set the example of inclusive leadership and hold your standards high for those around you. In order to create high-performing organizations, you're going to need to tap into the energy and capabilities of each of your war fighters. You're going to need to value and integrate their individual perspectives, ideas and contributions. This type of inclusive leadership will cast a new light on challenges and obstacles that you face and will enable your units to maximize their potential. My charge to you, as you return to the operational positions throughout the world is to pack this education and experiences and relationships into your seabag as you go. Utilize these new tools to analyze problems, analyze how we are prepared to meet them, develop and assess solutions, build winning teams. Your academic year here in Newport is only a small slice of the continuum of learning that you are expected to achieve in your professional career. You must continue to invest in personal and professional development for yourself and for those you lead. Don't sit comfortably with the lessons that you will take away from this place. Always press to the edge of your understanding. Encounter other ideas and perspectives and work with someone else who doesn't reflect your particular experience and beliefs. To find additional solutions. Don't return to the old habits that you had. You've developed new practices of intellectual engagement with a diverse set of sources and perspectives. You have improved analytic skills and you have attained a higher level of oral and written expression. With these tools, now you must focus on leading well. Your job here in Newport is not complete. You're now members of the United States Naval War College Alumni Association, a graduating group dating back 137 years. I encourage you to stay connected and engaged and to continue to conduct outreach and engagement with other Naval joint interagency and international stakeholders. I implore you to cultivate a network of lifelong partnerships based on respect for diverse perspectives and enhanced by your focus on collaboration, innovation and interoperability. And then together with the feedback that you will provide to us, we at the Naval War College will continue to push the bar higher to deliver excellence in education, research and outreach and in all the things that we do on behalf of our Navy and the nation. Again, to all of our families and friends here today, I thank you for being the pillar of your graduates strength for taking the time to share in this success and all the future ones and to our graduates, congratulations, bravo Zulu. It's a job well done. Please rise and remain standing for the benediction and the departure of the official party. Let us pray. Eternal father and almighty God, may each person here never forget the high privileges and weighty responsibilities entrusted to us as we serve others. May the leadership granted to these warriors and each warrior family represented here, go with your grace, your strength and joy each day. And may each of these graduates and their families and their commands go out in joy and be led forth in peace. Grant them safe journeys to their next place of service and may each of us honor you, our great creator God in everything we do each day. For it is in your most holy and mighty name we ask these things. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our graduation ceremony. Thank you for joining us this afternoon.