SECNAV Del Toro As-Written Remarks at the United States Marine Corps Forces Command Change of Command

Good morning, everyone!

It is an honor to be here with you this morning on this mighty warship to celebrate the service of Lieutenant General Cavanaugh, and welcome Lieutenant General Shea as she assumes command of U.S. Marine Forces Command, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, and Marine Forces Northern Command.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Lieutenant General Cavanaugh's family and friends here with us today.

To Lieutenant General Cavanaugh's wife, Shery, thank you for your dedication and all you have sacrificed on behalf of the Marine Corps and your husband. Congratulations on your upcoming 29th anniversary this month!

Thank you, Mrs. Evelyn Cavanaugh, for raising an incredible son who dedicated his life to service of our Nation.

And to Brian, thank you for your support throughout your father's distinguished career.

I also want to welcome and thank Lieutenant General Shea's family for being here.

To Lieutenant General Shea's husband Lieutenant Colonel Nick Slavik, thank you for your service in the Marine Corps and unwavering support of your wife throughout both of your impressive careers.

Christine and Hillari, it is wonderful to have you here in celebration of your sister and aunt.

As we all know, families truly are the backbone of our armed forces, and I was blessed to have the support of my wife Betty and our sons throughout my career in the Navy and now.

Justice Willet, thank you for being here today and for your career of public service.

Representative Kiggans, welcome, and thank you for your support of our service members and Veterans in the House Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committees, along with your work within Virginia's Second District.

Mayor Dyer, thank you for your service in the Marine Corps and service to the city of Virginia Beach.

General Berger, thank you for your lifetime of service to the men and women of our Marine Corps.

I welcome former NASA Administrator and Major General Bolden-sir, thank you for being here today, for your leadership of NASA and the Marine Corps.

General Smith, thank you for being here and for your leadership and guidance of our United States Marine Corps.

I'm grateful to see Trish here as well, the ship sponsor of the future USS Helmand Province (LHA-10).

Admiral Caudle, thank you for your service and leadership of US Fleet Forces.

Sergeant Major Ruiz, it is wonderful to have you here today-thank you for your mentorship of our Marines and the Corps.

To all of our general officers, flag officers, senior enlisted leaders, distinguished visitors, guests, family, and friends: welcome, and thank you for joining us for this ceremony.

I am humbled and honored to be a part of this momentous occasion today-the changing of command and responsibility from one Commanding General to another.

World Today/MARFORCOM Accomplishments

As you have seen and read in the news, we face tremendous uncertainty in the world today.

Just as our Marines and Sailors demonstrated unparalleled courage at the Battle of Iwo Jima, they must also lead at the tip of the spear against the existential threats facing our nation worldwide.

In Europe, Russia is well into the third year of its full-scale and illegal invasion of Ukraine.

For the first time since World War II, we face a comprehensive maritime power-our pacing challenge-in the Indo-Pacific.

In the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, we are working alongside our NATO allies and Middle East Partners to ensure the safety of innocent, civilian mariners and protecting our commercial shipping against Iranian-aligned Houthi attacks.

Immediately following the October 7th attacks in Israel, our Navy-Marine Corps Team was on station, the ready integrated force the world needed.

And the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit crucially operated in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation, ensuring the free flow of maritime traffic and stability in the region.

In February, NATO assumed command of United States and British Forces in the Eastern Mediterranean. Naval Striking Forces NATO executed a Transfer of Authority, assuming command of the Sailors and Marines assigned to the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, including USS Mesa Verde, USS Arleigh Burke, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary Argus.

In March, it was my honor and privilege to welcome home the more than 4,000 Marines and Sailors of Bataan ARG when they returned from eight and a half months deployed.

Their return to homeport underscored the profound sacrifices made by our service members, offered freely in defense of our Nation.

And our Marines remain a ready presence at any clime and place.

In June, the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group with the 24th MEU departed the East Coast and are on station today in the Mediterranean.

Alongside nineteen other NATO Allies, they participated in the 53rd and largest iteration of Exercise BALTOPS 2024.

This exercise provided an opportunity to enhance joint operations and demonstrated a commitment to preserving peace in the region.

And these joint training exercises are essential, because the threats we face today require tremendous interoperability, flexibility, and modernization.

General Cavanaugh's leadership of Marine Forces Command has been instrumental in implementing Force Design, ensuring our Marines' ability to fight and win in the future operating environment.

Last August, the Marine Corps and Navy executed Large Scale Exercise 2023, the third and most complex iteration of the exercise which included more than 25,000 Marines and Sailors around the world.

LSE 23 was a Live, Virtual, and Constructive exercise which spanned across 22 time zones and included six Carrier Strike Groups, six Amphibious Ready Groups, and 75 live and virtual ships.

It pushed the envelope of real world and synthetic training, both ensuring our Force's ability to jointly operate and validating Distributed Maritime Operations capabilities.

Throughout the exercise, Lieutenant General Cavanaugh served as Admiral Caudle's Deputy Joint Force Maritime Component Commander and is likely the only Marine Officer who can say he issued orders directly to a submarine!

I thank Lieutenant General Cavanaugh not only for his tactical prowess and vision to strengthen our maritime dominance, but also for his leadership philosophy and incredible dedication to his people.

Throughout his career and especially during his time as Commanding General, he fully understood that people are the true strength of our Marine Corps and Navy, and indeed our Nation, and that our people provide us the greatest advantage over our adversaries.

Lieutenant General Cavanaugh, I am confident that the legacy you leave behind-through the success of this command and those you have mentored and led along the way-will continue to serve our Marine Corps and country well into the future.

Because of you, the future of MARFORCOM is bright, though it will not be without its challenges.

And I know Lieutenant General Shea is ready to meet each and every one of them.

Lieutenant General Shea, I know you are ready, because I have seen you in action, leading the Marine Corps Office of Legislative Affairs.

It was an honor to work with you in the Pentagon, and I thank you for your dedication and service in support of our Navy-Marine Corps Team.

I look forward to hearing about Marine Forces Command's many successes during your tenure-and I know there will be many.

Closing

I thank you all once again for this opportunity to speak at this incredible event.

Lieutenant General Cavanaugh, thank you for your exceptional service to the United States Marine Corps and our grateful Nation. I wish you a wonderful retirement and hope you have more time to enjoy the Orioles and Ravens with your family-though I am sure you already have season tickets for the Diamondbacks and Cardinals lined up!

And Lieutenant General Shea, I wish you the best of luck and know these Marines are in good hands.

May God bless our Marines, Sailors, civilians, and their families with fair winds and following seas.

Thank you.

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