The numbers may fluctuate a little, but that's the standard contribution we make to the country and to the world 365 days a year. That's called forward presence. It's incredible combat power, on station and ready. We need to share that reality every chance we get. That's why I talk about the Navy today.
Forward presence is a critical underpinning of our national military strategy.
Naval forces bring unique capabilities to bear and we often serve as the spearhead in joint operations. The Navy is there. Sometimes I think we need to do a better job of articulating the value of forward deployed naval forces. It's important to me, and I dare say it should be important to everybody in this auditorium. The citizens of this country need to know what their Navy is doing for them and what we're doing with their tax dollars.