Thank you, Admiral, for the kind introduction and the opportunity to speak to such a distinguished group of submarine supporters. Yester- day my boss, Admiral Tofalo, discussed with you the many challenges facing our force today and the exciting efforts underway to meet those challenges. You also heard from Admiral Caudle, who detailed for you the competition our submarines face and the success of our crews on de- ployment. My counterpart, FORCE Davenport will provide an update, after I speak on the programmatic things, that he and I are working on. I wanted to spend my time today highlighting the exceptional Sailors who have made our success possible.
Our submarine force consists of 20,000 dedicated professionals from all over the country. This generation of Submariners possess an exceptionally positive, constructive commitment to our mission. The overwhelming majority of our Sailors have joined during the longest war in our country’s history and they’re in submarines because they want to be. Day in and day out, they serve with an unparalleled devotion to our core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
We are proud that even in today’s improving economy, the majority of our Sailors and their families decide to “Stay Navy.” They KNOW what they do every day matters, and that they and their families willing- ness to continue to serve highlights just how resolute they are. Not only are they choosing to continue to serve, they are also much better citizens than any past generation. This is clearly evident when you see the de- crease in our attrition and destructive behavior numbers. In the last ten years, we have seen a 70% drop in our attrition rate, a nearly 60% reduc- tion in DUIs since 2009, a 50% reduction in family maltreatment since 2013, and a 40% reduction in sexual assaults since 2015.
While I am not ready to claim victory, I am confident we will contin- ue to see improvement in these areas, not only because of the program- matic changes we have made but because we continue to recruit and retain the very best our nation has to offer. And the American people know it. The June 2017 Gallup Poll showed the American people hold the U.S. military community in the highest confidence out of 14 major US institutions.
As Admirals Tofalo and Caudle demonstrated in their remarks, near- ly 25% of our force is forward deployed at any given moment in support of national objectives. We are on scene, unseen and doing it with the fewest number of submarines since the early 1900s with submarines that, on average, are 23 years old. Our amazing success is only possible be- cause of the efforts of our Sailors.
Sailors like:
Machinist Mate Auxiliary 1st Class Brandon Fowler from Juliette Georgia. Petty Officer Fowler joined the Navy in 2008 and is current- ly serving aboard the USS Florida where they recently completed the largest availability in Trident Refit Facility history. When asked why he likes being a submariner he stated “Because I get to be the techni- cal expert on 80% of the systems on a submarine”; and man is he ever. Through his leadership in his division and throughout the ship as Assis- tant Quality Assurance Officer he enabled the successful completion of over 750 retests of vital ship systems; repairs to the Emergency Main Ballast Blow system and the successful rebuilding of 5 hydraulic accu- mulators in the past year.
Also from USS Florida, STS3 Kristopher Stahlman is from Pago Pago, America Samoa and joined the Navy in 2013. He is qualified Advanced Sonar Operator and was the ship’s go-to mentor and trainer for newly reporting Sailors in their qualifications and transition to life aboard the submarine.
Fire Control Technician 1st Class Joseph Hardy from Fort Worth, Texas is currently aboard the USS Missouri where he is qualified PILOT and serves as the Leading Petty Officer of his division AND the Com- mand Career Counselor. His leadership and expertise were instrumental in getting his division ready for TWO European Command deployments and in the ship’s receipt of the Retention Excellence Award for 2017.
Electronics Technician Navigation 2nd Class Tyler LaGrange is from Dumont, New Jersey and also serving aboard USS Missouri. Although he is on his first boat, he is already qualified Navigation Supervisor and Duty Chief Petty Officer. He is a stand out watch stander whose tech- nical acumen and mentoring of junior Sailors directly contributed to his boat receiving the Navigation “N” award for two consecutive years. His favorite job on the submarine is to rig the bridge right after surfacing where he says “You get to see the sunlight or stars, smell the sea air, and nothing but ocean all around you.” Anyone who has ever spent time in a bridge underway knows exactly what he is talking about.
I would be remiss if I did not also highlight the tremendous work of some of our Submarine Force Reserve Component Sailors who fill critical roles in the success of our force.
Hull Technician 1st Class Jose De La Cruz Ramirez from Gaith- ersburg Maryland is a single father of twin five year old daughters who transferred into our reserve force in 2008. Since joining the SFRC, he not only utilized his Navy rating skills in support of fleet maintenance onboard both the USS Frank Cable and USS Emory S. Land, he also uti- lized his civilian IT skills. Most notably during a recent active training period he worked in the N6 department at SUBLANT writing scripts and helping with programming that will save the department over 2000 work hours a year.
Another great reserve Sailor is Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Josiah Rowell from Silverdale Washington who supports our strategic mission as a Force Protection specialist. As a member of Submarine Group 9 Force Protection Detachment 1, he manages the unit’s supply depart- ment and trained fellow Sailors in force protection procedures creating a high state of readiness for his unit. His efforts resulted in his selection as Navy Operational Support Center Kitsap’s Junior Sailor of the Year.
The Sailors I highlighted for you today are NOT the exception. As I travel around our Force, talk to our Sailors and see them in action, I can assure you there are roughly 20,000 more JUST LIKE THEM. I am humbled every day by their selfless service to our country and am thankful for the opportunity to serve as their Force Master Chief. (And frankly, as an aside, I’m glad I won’t have to compete with them for promotion.)
Before I close, I would also like to acknowledge the support pro- vided by our families. We are the dominant expeditionary force because they take care of our homes. I learned from being born and raised in a military family and continuing now as a spouse and parent, the resiliency and support we enjoy from our families is the secret ingredient in our Navy’s success. Their sacrifice for our country is as real as any service member’s, and I am thankful they are willing to serve in such a challeng- ing and important capacity
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today and for your continued support of our Sailors and their families, and I will now turn it over to FORCE Davenport.
