United States Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus Gives Talk on ‘Seapower and the World Economy’
On September 25, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus spoke at Penn on the role of America’s maritime presence in the global economy to an audience of over 100 students and faculty.
Mabus, the 75th to hold the position, is responsible for conducting the affairs of the Department of the Navy, including recruiting, training, and equipping the Navy and Marine Corps. Before his appointment, he served in a variety of leadership positions, including governor of Mississippi and ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
During his talk, Mabus outlined his philosophy for a successful Navy, what he referred to as the “Four Ps”: people, platforms, power, and partnerships. In speaking on partnerships, Mabus cited the Navy’s far-reaching alliances in places like Gabon and Chad, where marines help train local park rangers in basic infantry to ward off poachers. These types of partnerships are integral to ensuring the safety of U.S. citizens, he said, as something like poaching can eventually come to fund extremism.
When speaking on power, Mabus emphasized the Navy’s commitment to renewable sources of energy, including biofuels. This, he said, is central not only to becoming “better stewards of the planet,” but to ensuring the military strength of the U.S., citing conflicts throughout history that had been decided by the control of resources.
Throughout the speech, Mabus pointed to what he called the Navy’s special strength: its continual, international presence. “The peace-time Navy, and the war-time Navy,” Mabus said, “unlike our sister services—we don’t get to come home.” This presence, he continued, ensures international trade routes stay open and that when the need for military action arises the Navy is “where we are needed, when we are needed.”
Mabus also spoke about successful leadership, saying it is often a matter of just listening to your constituents. As an example, he referred to his role in repealing an outdated rule that barred sailors from wearing their Navy ball caps—which display ship names on them—out into public. “I went back to Washington and asked the Chief of Operations, why can’t they wear these off the ship?” Mabus said. “He responded, ‘They can’t?’ And I had so many people come up and thank me for that. It’s little things.”
During the Q&A, Mabus addressed issues like trafficking and naval piracy. He began the session with what he called a long-standing tradition: gifting the first audience member to ask a question a special coin.
Steven J. Fluharty, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, introduced the Secretary. Michael Horowitz, Associate Professor of Political Science, who spent a year at the Pentagon on the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, moderated the Q&A portion of the talk, which was sponsored by the School of Arts and Sciences, Penn’s Christopher Browne Center for International Politics, Penn's Naval ROTC unit, and the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
During his introduction of the Secretary, Fluharty highlighted Penn’s historic relationship with the Navy. “The University and the Navy have historical ties that span, literally, several centuries. Penn has been home to the Naval ROTC program for 65 years, training 1,500 ensigns, second lieutenants, and even an astronaut,” said Fluharty. “We are also the proud alma mater of three secretaries of the Navy,” including Thomas S. Gates, Jr., who “graces the chair that I hold as Dean.”
See the entire talk here:
