The current National Security Strategy called Engagement and Enlargement also means that our forces are actively engaged in building multi-lateral and bilateral coalitions and naval partnerships at unprecedented levels in our history. The Department of the Navy met these challenges head on, while we were busy infusing our Core Values into every aspect of our business. These have evolved our hallmark standard of forward presence around the globe, and raised the bar for how we project power when the need arises. Today, we are seeing the benefits of the hard-won effort to restore our reputation and our capability. It was easy to send such a congratulatory birthday message to our people, because of what we are now ready to do We are ready for combat that is, after, all, job one for your Navy-Marine Corps Team.
War is our business.
Today we are forward deployed all around the globe, ready to project power anytime and anywhere, with an effectiveness that is unprecedented in our history. I said that I wanted to cover two things with you today, and the second is what each of you can do, to help us, as we continue to strive to be the best Navy and Marine Corps your tax dollars can buy. I have painted a rosy picture of the naval service, and it is an accurate one that I am proud to be a part of. There are, however, challenges ahead. We have identified them, and they amount to a growing critical juncture between three areas current readiness to perform our missions, quality of life for our people, and modernization for the future.