For the first time, the world s leading nation has global interests but no thirst for empire. Different too, are the threats we face. Terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and regional instability have become the focus of our efforts, and we are finding the task to be just as challenging as our pre-World War II and cold war planning. In fact, the challenges we face in the 21st century caused the Navy leadership to stand back and think about where we could best centralize the kind of strategic inquiry, visionary innovation, and doctrinal analysis necessary to keep our Navy several steps ahead of the threats. And the answer was clear our Naval War College at Newport.
Today is the first day of that focused effort.
It is the start of a new golden age of the Naval War College a new Naval War College for a new era. We find ourselves in an era where the comfort of perfecting the tried and true must give way to the risks of confronting the unknown. As we reach beyond our grasp, we build on the firm foundation of this college with its inspiring history and track record for excellence. But the challenges are new, and new tools must be brought to bear. The tools of innovation, experimentation, rigorous examination of concepts the tools of a high speed, networked, information age.