An unclassified summary is provided in RADM Fages' Flag Plot, and I encourage you to read the full report. My personal perspective as the U.S. Navy's senior operational submarine commander is that submarines, and submariners, are in demand. The problem is we simply don't have enough submarines. Although money has been reprogrammed to help recover force structure, the next few years are going to be very challenging as we come to grips with a growing operational requirements to force structure mismatch. Despite these challenges I believe we are doing the right things for our Sailors.
Accessions are up.
Attrition rates continue to fall, due largely to the outstanding mentoring that our Sailors are providing our newest shipmates. The trend lines are all in the right direction, indicative of continuous involvement by every Sailor in a leadership role. You should all be incredibly proud of your contribution to the Submarine Force, the Navy, and the Nation.