 Naval War College community, family, friends, and guests. Welcome. I'm Captain Cindy Dieterly, the Dean of Students, and will be serving as the MC for today's ceremony. You are welcome to take pictures at any time throughout the ceremony. 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, and if you wear a badge, please remove your badge. Please remain seated for the student procession. Please rise and remain standing for the arrival of the official party, the National Anthem, and the invocation. The National Anthem will be sung by musician's second class, Holden Moyer, from the Navy Band Northeast. Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts Commander Robert Fastknock, Command Chaplain, Naval Station Newport will deliver the invocation. Let us pray. Lord of the wind and waves, we enter your gates with thanksgiving in our hearts. We acknowledge your presence as we celebrate these achievements. We thank you for a spirit of camaraderie as these students from around the world have come to this place to learn how to ensure victory by sea. May we be instruments to bring relief from suffering, justice to the hurting and comfort to the mourners. May what is learned here be immediately applied to make our world a safer place. We thank you for the hard work and dedication of each student. We thank you for their instructors and staff who have facilitated a world-class education. May all that is said and done here today bring you glory and all your holy names, we pray, amen. Please be seated. It gives me great pleasure to introduce the members of our official party. Dr. Paul Brister, Dean, Center for Naval Warfare Studies. Rear Admiral Retired, Edward Cashman, Dean, College of Maritime Operational Warfare. Professor William Nault, 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. Timothy Schultz, Associate Dean of Academics. Dr. Steven Mariano, Provost, United States Naval War College. Dr. Steven Nault, National Security Affairs. And Rear Admiral Shoshana S. Chatfield, the 57th President of the United States Naval War College. Several years ago, we began a tradition at the U.S. 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 David Carroll to introduce your faculty guest speaker. Dave. Good afternoon, Admiral, Provost, distinguished guests, friends, family, fellow graduates. My name is Lieutenant Commander Dave Carroll and it is a pleasure to introduce Dr. Steve Nault today. Dr. Nault is a professor in the National Security Affairs Department where he teaches or has taught presidency and national security, leadership, strategy and policy and foreign policy analysis. His specialties in American government and politics with a particular focus on the American presidency. He's the author of 10 books related to the presidency and numerous book chapters, essays and reviews published in some of the most prestigious publications around the world. Dr. Nault is also the recipient of many honors and awards, including an honorary degree, Doctor of Letters from Assumption College. He won the Best Instructor Award at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Charles R. Cobal Junior Award for Excellence in Political Science Research and he was even named to the Who's Who in America 2002. Dr. Nault has met and interviewed with presidents, prominent political figures and scholars. Still, Steve is grounded. The most prominent photo in his office was that of one, Yev Kasim, the soup nati from Seinfeld, who signed the photo to my friend Steve and if the soup nati likes you, I think everyone likes you. Steve is retiring in December this year and our class was fortunate to be his last seminar at the War College. Steve instructed complex and nuanced material, including how foreign policy decisions were made from the Revolutionary War through present day. He provided candid responses to challenging questions and illuminated topics about the presidency, Congress and our bureaucratic organizations that are not well known. Steve is a wonderful professor, a respected scholar and the War College was fortunate to have someone of Steve's caliber on their staff. Steve, best of luck in retirement. Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Steve Nault. Thank you, Dave. Very grateful for that. I do need to question a little bit of what Dave had to say. I'm not exactly that tight with the soup nati. My daughter actually paid to get that signed photo. Admiral Chatfield, Provost Mariano, distinguished deans and department heads, graduates and the families of all graduates who played such a key role in making this day a reality. Let me begin by thanking this class for this great honor of selecting me as your graduation speaker. As Dave mentioned, I'm retiring in December and to leave the War College with this tribute is truly something I will never forget. And as for seminar two, thank you for rounding up the votes by twisting arms, as they say in the legislative world, to make this speech happen. In all seriousness, you were one of the most thoughtful and conscientious seminars I've ever had the privilege to teach during my 15 years here at the War College. You could have approached your final trimester by mailing it in, so to speak, or by simply checking off the boxes. You chose not to, and that speaks very highly of your character. Please allow me a few comments of a somewhat serious nature, and I promise I'll be brief. I have been teaching and writing about the founding of this nation, and as Dave mentioned, the evolution of the American presidency, all of my adult life. As you know, the American presidency was created under the constitution drafted in 1787. All of you in the military took a note to support and defend that same constitution when you joined the armed forces. Sadly, that document and the underlying principles that animate it, which are found in the Declaration of Independence, are under attack. This threat comes from within our own country, and because of that, I believe it makes this threat all the more dangerous. One of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, understood that the ultimate danger to America's security came from within, and this is a quote from Lincoln. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it is ever to reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide. With Lincoln's quote in mind, I have to admit that I am concerned about some troublesome trends in our republic. The unrelenting attacks on the rule of law, on the sanctity of elections, and on peaceful transitions of power should be of concern to all of us. The rise of a partisanship that encourages viewing our fellow Americans as the enemy and elevates allegiance to personality over principle is equally troubling, not to mention the veiled or not so veiled endorsements of political violence, which are becoming far too common. Sadly, as part of this growing disdain for the American political order and its institutions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department, and on occasion, even the American military are sometimes labeled as enemies of the people. Now, during my time at the Naval War College, I had the privilege of teaching students from all of these agencies and routinely found them to be devoted public servants. They're most certainly not the enemy of the people. All Americans have an obligation to preserve what Lincoln called the last best hope of mankind. Now, I'm not up here preaching as a cheerleader for the United States, for I'm well aware of the underside of American history, particularly when it comes to the treatment of Native Americans and the existence of slavery and of Jim Crow well into the 20th century, all of which represented in a front to the notion that all men and women are created equal. It is important to recognize that it was not all that long ago that a conservative American president, Ronald Reagan, acknowledged the quote, moral evils end quote of the American past, along with our efforts to transcend those evils in a famous speech he delivered in 1983. Today, efforts are being made to prohibit these lessons, teaching these lessons in American classrooms. A truly great nation should not be afraid to grapple with the entirety of its past. My teaching in writing here at the War College has been animated by one simple belief that despite its flaws, the American Republic is worth preserving. Part of my belief stems from my awareness of the amount of blood and treasure spent to create and preserve this Republic. And I simply cannot fathom squandering this inheritance handed to us by the sacrifices of so many. I would like to read you a quote from one of the greatest foreign admirers of the American Republic who said in 1947, quote, many forms of government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. Now that quote is from Winston Churchill, who was made an honorary citizen of the United States by President Kennedy in the United States Congress in 1963. I think sometimes that many of us take for granted that we live in a nation that strives to check the abuses of power, protect the rights of those out of step with the majority, and provide due process of law for all its citizens. Again, we often fall short and we need to teach and learn from those instances where we have fallen short. But the fact is that the citizens of this nation have made great strides over the course of 233 years and we can continue to do so if and only if we remain true to our founding principles. That requires accepting the truism that all are created equal. That equal protection of the law is the right given to every American and that respect for the rule of law is the only thing that stands in the way of this nation devolving into an authoritarian state. So in closing, I would urge all of us, whether we are members of the military or private citizens, to reject the siren call of those demagogues who play on our fears and would dismantle this last best hope of Lincoln. And instead, I would hope that we would respond to and again here, I'm borrowing from Abraham Lincoln, the better angels of our nature when considering our role as soldiers and as citizens. For those in the military, this requires you to always remain true to your oath. And for citizens, this requires us to become truly engaged in the public square, doing the hard work using our reason and rejecting the ideological or cultish passions that permeate American political life, along with the conspiracy theories promoted by political figures and circulated as gospel on the internet. If we all do this, then we will keep our republic and hand it down to future generations, which I see as a sacred obligation. And so to this graduating class, I want to congratulate you for reaching this important milestone. And I wanna thank you for your service to our nation and may God bless you, your families and our country. Thank you. Dr. Nott, 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 the 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. Mr. Michael Bemonte, Senior Director of Development Naval War College Foundation, will you join Rear Admiral Chatfield in presenting these awards? For the College of Naval Warfare, the honor graduate of the November 2022 graduating class is Commander Jonathan Lushenko. Would you please come up to the stage to receive your award? Commander Lushenko finished number one of 12. He was NSDM Seminar Academic Rep, NSDM Final Exerciser Briefer, S&P Seminar Social Rep, JMO Conceptual Planning Instructional Lead. He has awarded the Graduate Certificate in Maritime History. He is also an Incubate Debate, Tournament Judge and Topic Advisory Board Member and a Severn Leadership Group Senior Fellow and Mentor. Along with the certificate, the Naval War College will be presenting him a 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 November 2022 graduating class is Lieutenant Commander Clayton Hunt. Would you please come up to the stage to receive your award? Lieutenant Commander Hunt finished number two of 28. He was a Halsey Alpha ARP Team Lead, participating in fleet engagement, sharing Halsey Alpha findings and context for capability and tactics techniques and procedures development. He participated in a tabletop exercise convened by Dr. Peterson and Admiral Fogo investigating a counter-blockade operations in response to Russia's blockade of Ukrainian grain exports. Additionally, he was a coach for youth baseball, flag football and tackle football. Along with the 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 our honor graduates a few moments to address their fellow graduates and classmates. Good afternoon, Admiral Chaffield, Provost Mariano. Distinguished faculty, staff and guests, classmates and families. I'm truly humbled and honored to receive this award when Captain Dieterle notified me that my actual last assignment here was to speak to you all today. Naturally, ideas for the obligatory humor line started to race through my head. Testament to the resources made available to us here at the Naval War College and apparently, or confidence in my ability to read a speech. Captain Dieterle also advised me that there were several examples of previous speeches available on YouTube. Thank you, ma'am, appreciate it. After a little research, I was quickly confronted with the reality that all of my perspective ideas for witty jokes were taken and I think I'm all set on citations for a while. Therefore, instead of demonstrating my own skill set and plagiarism avoidance, I will use this opportunity to quickly identify what I think we gained from our experience here at the Naval War College and extend some thank yous along the way. If I had to capture everything that I think we gained from this experience in one word, that word would be perspective. For many of us, we came here at the top of our tactical game with maybe some insight into the operational and strategic levels of warfare, but we are all leaving with a broader and deeper perspective on those arenas, enabling us to approach the challenges we face in future roles from a higher altitude and with clear visibility. For this elevated perspective, I'd like to first thank the faculty. Your mentorship, insights, guidance and support helped us all to challenge our own preconceptions, expand our knowledge of our profession and better formulate and convey our thoughts. Thank you for your investment in our development. I'd also like to extend a sincere thank you to the leadership and staff of the Naval War College. From the facilities to the administrative support and beyond, students at this institution are clearly the priority and I greatly appreciate the effort put forth on providing abundant resources and removing distractions so that we may maximize the time spent here. Next, I'd like to thank our families. As I'm sure was the case for many of my classmates, this experience was a much needed opportunity to dedicate more attention to my family, free of the demands of training, operations, leadership and deployments. Many of us were able to capitalize greatly on this opportunity, but we recognize that our development here was not without sacrifice as well. From two moves in a year's time to geo batches, to taking the kids to the park while we were writing a paper, not to mention your service as our most critical editors, thank you for your unwavering support. Lastly to my classmates, we all came together here in Newport from very diverse backgrounds, representing various services, communities, government agencies and nations. I think my perspective was broadened the most by all of you. For the last year, I had the opportunity to garner a great deal of your valuable knowledge and insight, whether it was through short interactions during downtime waiting for the next lecture, collaborating on a project, or upon conclusion of a passionate 10 minute soap box during seminar. In all seriousness, I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from all of you. I'm confident that our collective effort has produced a class of more capable war fighters and leaders, armed with a deeper understanding of our profession and the threats we face around the world. But with that understanding, I'll offer comes a responsibility to employ it with the various roles we are fortunate enough to continue our service. Congratulations to you all. Thank you and I'll see you in the fleet. I think my speech is near somewhere. Oh, there it is. Admiral Chatfield, Provost Mariano, Captain Deterly, Naval War College Foundation, Naval War College faculty and staff, distinguished guests, family and friends, both here and at home watching on Zoom. And most importantly, graduating students from the Naval Command and Staff College and College of Naval Warfare, it is a great day. What a beautiful day here in Newport. And to say that I am deeply honored and humbled to be the College of Naval Warfare's honor graduate is an exceptional understatement. To me, this award signifies so much more than personal accomplishment. I believe this award represents the broader mission of the Naval Academy to educate and develop leaders, support the Navy during an era of great power competition, strengthen global maritime partnerships and promote ethical leadership across the force. In this sense, I accept this award on behalf of and in stride with all my fellow students and consider us all the most fortunate recipients of a world-class education and pedological teamwork. Indeed, our previous year as graduate students has provided us and our families the unparalleled opportunity to grow intellectually, develop as leaders, forge lasting friendships across the joint force and create bonds with Naval War College faculty and staff that will have an impact for years to come. My own experience is illustrative. Like all of us here, we arrived off cycle and I had a little bit of enthusiastic nervousness about the newcomer in national security decision-making seminar 16. But any apprehension I had quickly evaporated when the seminar welcomed me with open arms. In particular, two individuals, Mr. Ed Mikulski who works for the United States Agency for International Development and Lieutenant Colonel Moises Castillo, a reserve judge advocate general quickly took me under their wings. We became fast friends and even created a WhatsApp chat group called the Three Amigos to support and enable each other during our academic journey. Despite Ed's far-flung posting in Kaghestan and Moises' assignment to joint reserve-based New Orleans following graduation this past June, we continue to communicate regularly. Ed and Moises' proactive and selfless willingness to remove barriers to my initial educational journey is an example I sought to mimic and my turn came as the quote seasoned Naval War College veteran this past trimester in joint military operations seminar Lucky 13. Paying forward the selfless kindness and friendship I experienced during my first trimester was a major goal of mine when the new academic year commenced. And I hope my fellow Lucky 13 seminar teammates benefited from my knowledge and experience. As the Three Amigos and Lucky 13 demonstrate none of us can truly succeed as leaders, professionals and human beings without the support and compassion of our family, friends and shipmates. To that end, and on behalf of the entire graduating class, I wanna thank the Naval War College faculty, staff and community for supporting, enabling and removing barriers to our education. Let's give them a round of applause. Similarly, I wanna personally thank Admiral Chatfield for her dedicated and passionate leadership and for demonstrating each day through her personal example how enthusiasm and selfless mentorship is a critical enabler of team success. Admiral, thank you for supporting and enabling my fellow students and me to grow and develop this past year. In the final scene of the 1953 Korean War film The Bridges of Tokyo Re, rear Admiral George Tarrant played by famous actor Freddie March, solemnly asks, where do we get such leaders? They leave the ship and they do their job. Then they must find this speck somewhere lost on the sea. When they find it, they have to land on its pitching deck. Where do we get such leaders? For me, the answer is simple. We get such leaders from our loving family and friends. We get such leaders from our mothers and fathers who sacrifice so that their sons and daughters can flourish. We get such leaders from our colleagues, mentors and teachers who inspire us through personal example and an innate willingness to teach. We get such leaders from loving spouses, partners and children. My inspiration to support this past year and for the duration of my career has been my loving and beautiful life, Mallory. Thank you for enduring the long hours of study and work this past year with a smile on your face and accompanying reassurance. I can't wait to tackle the next challenge with you. Like most of you, I will forever recall our past year at the Naval War College with warmth and affection. Let's all pay forward the gift we've received and help continue to make our country and military the best in the world. Congratulations and 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? Rear 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 secretary of the Navy, the accreditation of the New England Commission of Higher Education and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I confer upon you all appropriate degrees and diplomas. Please join me in saluting with our applause the November 2022 United States Naval War College graduates. 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. Rear Admiral Chatfield, Dr. Nott, Dr. Mariano and Dr. Schultz, please rise. Presenting the graduating members of the College of Naval Warfare, Lieutenant Colonel Roger Bollew, U.S. Army Reserve, Commander Allen Brooks, U.S. Navy, Commander David Kamp, U.S. Navy, Commander Charles Chimalak, U.S. Navy, Commander Dustin Engel, U.S. Navy, Colonel Reims Keane, U.S. Army Reserve, Lieutenant Colonel Lucas Lonzi, U.S. Army National Guard, Commander Jonathan Lushenko, U.S. Navy, with highest distinction, Commander Ryan Mattson, U.S. Navy, with distinction, Commander Nicholas Woodworth, U.S. Navy. Unable to join us today are Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gore, U.S. Army, with distinction and Lieutenant Colonel Sanford Orrick, U.S. Marine Corps. Presenting the graduating members of the College of Naval Command and Staff, Major Jehan Alptake, U.S. Army, Lieutenant Commander David Carroll, U.S. Navy, with distinction, Lieutenant Commander John Delano, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Lindsay Dry, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander Brandon Hermanson, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Holden, U.S. Navy, with highest distinction, Lieutenant Commander Clayton Hunt, U.S. Navy, with highest distinction, Lieutenant Commander Kristen Kelso, U.S. Navy, with distinction, Lieutenant Commander Stacy Kulzewski, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander Michael LaVoy, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Lopez, U.S. Navy, Major Dio Dotto Louison, U.S. Army National Guard, Lieutenant Commander Kyle McFadden, U.S. Navy and joining us via Zoom, Major Melissa McKenney, U.S. Army, Lieutenant Commander Igor Mendel, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant James Myers, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander James Morrison, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Peden, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander Christopher Prue, U.S. Navy, Major Clinton Raymond, U.S. Army, with distinction, Lieutenant Commander Jeremy Seavy, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander Travis Snover, U.S. Navy, with distinction, Major Travis Souders, U.S. Army, Lieutenant Commander Timothy Sullivan, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander Daniel Tyson, U.S. Navy and joining us via Zoom, Major Stephen Wall, U.S. Army, unable to join us today is Major Timothy Hanrahan, U.S. Army National Guard. Please join us in a round of applause for our graduates, honorees and their families. Our Admiral Chatfield will now issue the charge to the graduates. Admiral? Wow, what a round of applause and well-deserved. So congratulations, Dr. Knott. Thank you so much for your remarks to our graduates. We really appreciate your message and the conviction behind your words. I know that our graduates, as they move on to greater responsibility and increasing roles in leadership, that they'll think back to this time and think back to the things that you said today. And so I'm very, very happy that you are our guest speaker today. To our Chief of Naval Operations, Distinguished International Fellows, admirals, Barrera, Verma, and Sanes, thank you for the attention that you've given to these two classes and for your continued contributions to our community across the board. Thank you for being here today. To our Naval War College Foundation, I know that Chief Executive Officer George Lang, retired Captain George Lang, could not be here today. But to all of the Foundation staff, the Board of Trustees, and all the members, thank you for the generosity of that organization. Those gifts to the college have provided critical funding that have enhanced the experience of our students, our faculty, and really enriched the academic year. So thank you very much. Now, to Provost Mariano, to our deans, to our faculty, and to the staff of this college, well done. We look for excellence in education, research, and outreach, and you've set the bar very high in the way that we support and facilitate our programs. Today, you all see the fruits of your labor. These graduates will proceed to their upcoming assignments as advocates for peace and security across the globe. To our dedicated and dear military families and our loved ones, your support and endurance through programs like these have enabled these warfighters to protect and serve our nation throughout their careers. I hope this year in Newport has been a welcome break and a much-deserved reprieve for you and for your families. And for those of you who supported your students from afar, we know that this separation added some stress and that you missed those personal touches that only come with face-to-face interaction. Thank you all for supporting your service members through their studies and for everything that you do to contribute to this great nation. And now to the fall class of 2022, congratulations. You are now graduates of the United States Naval War College, a place of original research on all questions relating to war and the statesmanship connected with war or the prevention of war. That quote from our founder, Rear Admiral Stephen B. Loos, is as true today as it was when he spoke it. For this last year, you've been part of this college's great mission, committed to education, research, and outreach. And now you have a responsibility to use this knowledge, this perspective, return to your careers in a demanding security environment where we're counting on you to support the people who work for you, the leaders who you work for, and to develop ideas with your critical thinking that outthink and outpace any adversary that we might have. You've been provided with a new set of tools here, freshly honed to anticipate and prepare for the future. And so you are uniquely qualified. You have the ability to strengthen the foundations of peace and create a decisive warfighting advantage for the United States, for our maritime partners, some of whom you met here, and our allies. The United States is a maritime nation. Our security and our prosperity depend on the sea. And that means that we must have freedom of navigation for our commerce worldwide. And that's just as important to our allies and partners. President Biden stated in the recently released National Defense Strategy, close collaboration with allies and partners is foundational for US national security interests and for our collective ability to address the challenges that the People's Republic of China and Russia present while responsibly managing the array of other threats we face. You are graduating during a time of conflict in the world and the lessons you have learned may be needed sooner than anticipated. Just this year, the Russian Federation invaded a sovereign neighbor bringing the interstate war back to Europe at a level not seen since the end of World War II. We stand together with our allies and partners against this unprovoked aggression. We are employing all available security cooperation tools to support the Ukrainian people as they defend themselves against it. And although this conflict may seem far away, this war has directly impacted the Naval War College. I ask you to join me in recognizing that members of our community here at the Naval War College have loved ones in peril. Although we have no Ukrainian students this year since the first time since 2017, we have regularly had Ukrainian students all the way back to 1995. And we have continued to keep in contact with our Ukrainian alumni and their families and friends facing danger today at the hands of Russian instruments of national power, including military action in violation of international law. Our maritime service chiefs have committed to working together to build, lead, and advance 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 the national security and economic interests of our United States of America. This has never been more important than it is today. At your new student orientation, if you can remember back that far, I discussed horizontal and vertical development. And now I hope you have the understanding and vocabulary of that day. You have expanded your capabilities and your capacities. As a result, you will be building a strong worldwide network of maritime partnerships united in a common purpose and a relentless drive to anticipate, to think creatively, and to lead well through change. Our most crucial warfighting asset is our soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians, and coast guardsmen. Every one of our service members brings different and extraordinary contributions to our teams. Cultivating a high-performing and innovative workforce built on a foundation of diversity and inclusion starts at the top. It is carried out by you, our frontline leaders. Set the example of inclusive leadership and hold your standards high for those around you. To create a high-performing organization, you will need to tap into the energy and capabilities of all of your warfighters, valuing and integrating individual perspectives, ideas, and contributions. This inclusive leadership will cast new light on challenges and obstacles and enable your units to maximize their potential. Graduates, continue to expand your capabilities and capacities, build a strong worldwide network of partnerships united in common purpose and bring your relentless drive to anticipate, think creatively, and lead through change. Your careers as service members have been filled with unpredictability and recently, momentous changes. Yet this dynamic reality can be leveraged for good. Continuous learning is a critical strategic enabler to the success of our fighting forces, our interagency, and our international partners' successes. This investment in your education is a direct investment into gaining warfighting advantages. My charge to you is this. As you return to your operational positions worldwide, carry this education with you. Utilize these new tools to analyze the situations in which you find yourselves. How will we fight? How will we frame problems? Develop and assess solutions and build winning teams. Your academic year here in Newport is only a tiny slice of the continuum of learning that will take place throughout your careers. You must continue investing in personal and professional development for yourselves and for those you lead. So don't now sit comfortably in your area of expertise. You're not done. Always press to the edge. Always seek opportunities to interact with others whose specialties and viewpoints differ from yours. That is where you will develop innovative ideas which are key to our future successes. Don't go back to the old habits you had. Instead, take the knowledge and experience you've gained here as a new lens to view the challenges that you will inevitably face. You have developed a unique practice of intellectual engagement with a diverse set of sources and perspectives. You have improved your analytical skills and attained a higher level of oral and written communication. With these tools, you must focus on leading well. And so your job is not complete. And now you are members of the United States Naval War College Alumni Association which dates back 138 years. So stay connected and engaged. Continue to engage with Naval Joint Agency and international stakeholders. Cultivate a network of lifelong partnerships based on respect for diverse perspectives and enhanced by your focus on collaboration, innovation and interoperability. And please give us feedback. With your feedback, we will continue to push the bar higher here at the United States Naval War College to deliver excellence in research, education and outreach. And again, to all of our family and friends here today, I thank you for being the pillar of your graduate strength and for taking the time to share in this occasion with your graduate. Graduates, bravo Zulu. Congratulations on a job well done. Please rise and remain standing for the benediction and the departure of the official party. Let us pray. Eternal father strong to save. Again, we thank you for each person here who represents a far larger community. This group will have a global impact. May the networks and friendships continue to flourish. May each family wants for nothing and each family thrive and peace survive. Lord, your arm hath bound that restless wave so bring resolution to lands of conflict. Bring the warfighter home to their loved ones. Protect those who are training and deploying. Give wisdom to our political leaders and discernment to their advisors. You bid that mighty ocean deep and you have called us out upon those waves. May those waves be avenues of fair trade, fair winds and following seas. As we leave here, we know we go, but still in your presence. So may your word be a lamp to our feet. Oh, hear us when we cry to thee, warriors out upon your seas. Amen. This concludes our graduation ceremony. Thank you for joining us this afternoon.