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SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much.
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Please, please, be seated.
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Admiral, thank you very, very much for welcoming
me here to this storied academy.
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I am really privileged to be here, and I’m
anxious to hear your questions and look forward
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to having a little bit of a dialogue if we
can.
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I want to recognize Admiral Frank Pandolfe,
who is class of 1980.
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He has served as a liaison between the Joint
Chiefs of Staff and the State Department,
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and he has now traveled with me – Admiral,
how many hundreds of thousands of miles?
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ADMIRAL PANDOLFE: Three hundred?
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SECRETARY KERRY: Three hundred, four – whatever.
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Who’s counting, right?
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Thank you, though.
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He’s been an indispensable liaison, and
in today’s world, as you all will find more
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and more what the military is doing, what
the Defense Department’s doing, is linked
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to and closely affiliated what the State Department
is doing or the Department of Homeland Security
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– the distinctions have broken down to some
degree.
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And the most recent Defense Authorization
Act actually puts more burden in some ways
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into defense to be diplomats and psychologists
and mayors of cities and a whole bunch of
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other things.
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So it’s a broader responsibility than it
ever was, and we can talk about that perhaps
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a little bit later.
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I think that the Admiral’s presence on my
staff, together with Captain Abbot -- he’s
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somewhere here, he was here a – there he
is – they have traveled near and far, and
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they’ve helped us to really integrate our
policies in important ways.
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My understanding is this immediate post-holiday
stretch – today’s the first day back at
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classes, so I hope you’re in a half-decent
mood here today.
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(Laughter.)
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I understand this stretch is known as the
“dark ages,” made worse by the memory
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of a certain painful sporting event that took
place in Baltimore.
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Rest assured, as a former sailor, you know
where my loyalties lie in who I was rooting
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for.
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But despite the outcome of that aberration,
it is my understanding that Navy won eight
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of 10 athletic contests against Army last
fall.
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And I know that every plebe here, with respect
to football, can affirm that there are 332
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days left until the start of another long
winning streak, if I’m correct.
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I’ve had the opportunity to visit this campus
a number of times.
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It’s a beautiful campus, an extraordinary
place.
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And sometimes I’ve just kind of driven around
when I’ve had to be in Annapolis for one
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reason or another.
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I’ve also been here for a couple funerals
– Admiral Zumwalt, who was my commanding
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officer, commanded all naval forces in Vietnam
– and also the admiral I had the privilege
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of serving as an aide and flag lieutenant
to is buried on the hill, along with a bunch
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of other admirals.
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And it was my privilege to be here with his
family after he had passed away.
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And while I served in the Navy, I served with
a lot of graduates of this Academy.
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And believe me, I got to see firsthand the
quality of officers that are produced here.
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And I’m proud of the service that I had
an opportunity to share with them.
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There is no question that this is one of the
great assets of country – you are the great
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assets of our country, but writ large, this
institution is and the brand of leadership
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that is taught here is absolutely defining
of the heart of America and our strength in
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the world today.
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And I hope you all feel the full measure of
that.
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So it’s a special honor for me to be able
to speak here and return, in a sense, to the
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roots of my public service.
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1965, I was in my junior year in college,
and I volunteered at the time after Lyndon
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Johnson called for some 500,000 additional
troops to be able to go to Vietnam.
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And I joined the United States Naval Reserve,
raising my hand just like you and swearing
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the oath to uphold the constitution and our
country.
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And it was 50 years ago last fall when I reported
for duty for Officer Candidate School, literally
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the morning after my college roommate’s
wedding – so you can imagine the shape I
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was in.
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(Laughter.)
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And I stood at attention and had my head shaved,
and found myself in a different world.
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My earliest memories were probably a mixture
of some of the things you all felt when you
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came here: A little bit of excitement or maybe
a lot of excitement; a certain amount of exertion,
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a fair amount of fear.
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And I have to confess that most of the fear
came from looking at myself in the mirror,
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because some guys shave their heads and they
look like Vin Diesel or the Rock; God gave
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me a head that was not meant to be shaved,
folks.
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And so I didn’t have a lot of time, though,
to dwell on my appearance, as you all know,
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between the grind of physical activity and
mental activity.
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And learning how to march to class was a different
deal for me at that point in time.
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But I look back on all of it fondly, as I’m
sure – I hope you do at this point, and
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I know you will ultimately.
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Eventually, I moved on to nuclear, chemical,
biological warfare school, and damage control
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school, and flight control school – a whole
bunch of different schools before I joined
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my ship in the Gulf of Tonkin, and did a tour
of duty chasing aircraft carriers as plane
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guard, and occasionally getting up on the
gun line, but fairly rarely until I then went
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back to Vietnam commanding a 50-foot gunboat,
as the Admiral mentioned in his introduction
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of me.
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So people often ask, and I just want to share
with you a few thoughts about what I took
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away from that experience.
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Some of the deeper lessons were very personal
– serving as the officer of a deck, which
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I did in the first tour, of a 535-foot ship
with missiles and a complement – amazing
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crew, watching over that ship in the dark
of night chasing a aircraft carrier that wouldn’t
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necessarily tell you when it was going to
turn, and none of us had lights on – is
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a challenge, and acting as counselor to a
lot of other younger men who are part of your
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division is a shaping, formative experience.
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It teaches you leadership, not to mention
obviously, ultimately, going into close combat
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itself.
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And you learn that the folks around you become
a lot more than a crew or a lot more than
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people you have a right as an officer to tell
what to do.
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They’re your family.
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So this was about as much responsibility as
a young person could ask for and that’s
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what you all are going to see one way or the
other, and it has a value that I simply cannot
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overstate.
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As Secretary of State, as a senator, on the
issues I had to vote on about war and peace,
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Iraq, elsewhere, those lessons are indelible
and they’re invaluable, and they stay with
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you forever.
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I know that what we learned in that period
of time is something that prepares you for
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service to your country or even as a corporate
leader, as a business leader, or any kind
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of leader.
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You learn leadership and you will practice
leadership.
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And that is different from most of the rest
of the people who go to college anywhere or
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who go out into the world.
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Now, in a classroom, some of the slogans probably
sound a little cliche.
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But in real-life combat situations, I’ll
tell you those words have urgent and visceral
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meaning.
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And the difference between doing the necessary
or not has nothing to do with where you come
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from, what you look like, who your parents
are, where you lived.
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What matters is character – a willingness
to put your fellow sailors, your unit, your
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duty above all else, and the confidence to
do your job well when every instinct may be
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screaming at you to take cover or do something
else.
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That’s the difference.
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The ability to bring out the best in other
people.
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The understanding in your gut that you must
never, never leave a shipmate behind.
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And in recent years, we have seen that character
in practice through the courage of the young
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officers who have taken the knowledge gained
at this academy in Iraq, Afghanistan, in Yemen,
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in other places all around the world.
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Some of these men and women, as you know better
than anybody, never returned home.
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Their names have been added to the plaque
in Memorial Hall of the brave souls who give
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the last full measure.
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But the service and sacrifice of every single
Annapolis graduate is a stark reminder that
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nothing that you do here is purely academic
– because you will move from commencement
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exercises to real-life military exercises
in a very short stretch of time, and you will
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be asked to dig in to that deep reserve of
character almost immediately after graduation.
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And for that, you will, I assure you, always
have the thanks of a grateful nation.
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A second lesson from my experience in service
may be a little more surprising, but that
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is the criticality of America’s leadership
in the world.
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One of the lessons I have learned, or I think
I knew it but it’s been indelibly re-imprinted
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on me in the course of the last four years,
is the degree to which our leadership is critical.
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People don’t sit around expecting Russia
or expecting China or expecting a whole bunch
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of other countries to step up and deal with
Ebola or to protect the South China Sea or
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to stand up against Russia and protect the
frontline states with respect to their incursion
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into Ukraine, but they do expect it of the
United States of America.
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There are high expectations of us and what
I have found is – and I don’t say this
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with any scintilla of arrogance – but if
we’re not engaged in the leadership effort
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with respect to many of the challenges we
face in this planet today, it more often than
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not doesn’t happen or it takes a hell of
a lot longer for it to get done.
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I was – and remain – convinced that ours
is often the decisive catalyst for good.
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And that engagement is especially vital in
an era when technology has brought the whole
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world closer together and when we have seen
the rise of dangerous non-state actors.
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Most of the last century’s history was defined
by nation-states fighting nation-states, and
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millions upon millions of people died in the
course of world wars and conflicts.
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That’s not what is currently characterizing
this century.
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This century is defined much more by non-state
actors who are acting as disruptors to the
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global order, in many ways, or bad governance
and corruption and the disintegration of rule
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of law, so that it has a profound impact that
pulls the United States in.
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We’ve seen the resurgence now suddenly of
an authoritarian populism, and I would respectfully
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suggest to all of you that this is something
we may see more of in the next years that
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may produce challenges that all of you are
going to have to cope with in the context
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of choices that get made as a result.
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Even excessive nationalism defining some countries
in the world, the spread of sectarian tensions,
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the shift of power and prosperity in the direction
of the Asia Pacific, nations that – after
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World War II, we were the only power standing.
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We could make bad decisions and still win.
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We don’t have that luxury today.
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We’re the most powerful country on the planet,
yes, and we’re the biggest economy in the
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world, yes.
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But China will be eventually just by virtue
of its size.
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And so you can’t walk into a room and say,
“Do it our way,” and have everybody automatically
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say, “Oh, absolutely.”
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And we’re seeing that pushback in many different
respects, in many different places, which
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requires greater skill and greater speed in
the execution of our decision making and of
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our diplomacy.
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This is an age when the globe seems to be
spinning at a faster pace than anybody can
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remember.
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If you think you’re a little dizzy, trust
me, a lot of people who’ve been coping with
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these challenges for a long time feel the
intensity of that pace.
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So we have to be quicker; we have to be more
nimble; we have to be more fluid.
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And we have to use every national security
tool in our arsenal – including force when
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absolutely necessary – but also we have
to use our commercial, our economic, our diplomatic
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influence, and keep our people safe and secure
and prosperous by virtue of the greater skill
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that we apply to the broad array of tools
in our arsenal.
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Now, this has been my focus over four years
as Secretary of State.
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I’ve tried to get people to realize that
economic policy is not distinct from foreign
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policy; economic policy is foreign policy
and foreign policy is economic policy in today’s
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world.
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And I’ve always tried to keep uppermost
in my mind who will pay the price and bear
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the burden of defending our country if diplomacy
fails.
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War is the failure of diplomacy.
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President Kennedy famously said we must never
negotiate out of fear, but we must never fear
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to negotiate.
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And that has guided me significantly in the
course of my career.
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Our successes at the negotiating table can
make your jobs a lot easier and a lot less
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dangerous.
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And you can’t get there if you’re not
willing to talk.
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Now, an important example of all of this and
the new world we’re living in, obviously,
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is the fight against ISIL/Daesh.
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Naval aviators and Marines are playing a vital
role in that campaign against the extremists
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in Iraq and Syria.
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And this effort reflects an incredible partnership
between diplomats and our military.
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We are constantly working hand-in-hand.
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We’re working with the Turks to figure out
how much and how far they’re going to come
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down and what we’re going to do with the
Arab forces that we’re working with and
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how we surround al-Raqqa, and to what degree
we can arm some of the people that they don’t
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like and to what degree they can be used in
the fight.
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There’s a lot of diplomacy involved in the
implementation of the battle strategy, of
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the war plan, and it reflects that.
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On the political side, we have built a 68-member
coalition, with countries from every corner
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of the globe all coming together in pursuit
of a common goal, which is to defend our citizens,
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our allies, and our friends from a group that
has no rules, that is literally waging war
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on civilization itself.
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This is different.
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Our confrontation with violent extremism is
likely to prove a generational challenge to
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which we’re going to have to respond with
every appropriate means – from conventional
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military operations where that’s necessary,
to clandestine, covert operations, law enforcement,
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and other avenues of homeland defense.
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And we can see the same connection between
our diplomacy and security elsewhere in the
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Middle East – in Iran, where we have forged
an historic agreement to block each and every
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one of that country’s pathways to a nuclear
weapon.
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Now, I hear people criticize me and say, “Why’d
you make a deal with Iran?”
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Well, pretty simple.
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Our ally, Israel, is critical.
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Our other allies in the region – Saudi Arabia,
UAE, Egypt, others – all have deep concerns
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about what is happening.
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And the fact is that it is better to deal
with the problems of an Iran that will pursue
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its revolutionary interests in Yemen or in
Syria or elsewhere without a nuclear weapon
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than to pursue an Iran that does have one.
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A pretty simple equation, in my judgment.
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And we have been able to create an Iran that
only has 12 – that went from 12,000 kilograms
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of enriched material down to 300 kilograms.
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You can’t build a nuclear weapon with 300
kilograms.
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They’ve gone down to 3.67 percent enrichment
for the next 15 years.
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You can’t build a nuclear weapon at 3.67
percent enrichment.
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That has literally destroyed the calandria
of its plutonium reactor so that they no longer
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have access to plutonium fuel.
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Where we are now tracing from cradle to grave,
from the mine to the waste, all enrichment
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and all uranium that they mine.
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And that will happen for the next 25 years,
with television cameras present and watching.
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So we believe that by bringing all of the
parties to the negotiating table and addressing
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a major international challenge without resorting
to military action, we were able to persuade
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Iran to eliminate 98 percent of its stockpile,
shut down two-thirds of its centrifuges, and
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subject its nuclear facilities – most importantly
– to the most rigorous inspection regime
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that has ever been created or negotiated.
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And the result is that a significant danger
in a volatile region which, if not curbed,
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might have resulted in Egypt and Saudi Arabia
and other countries pursuing their own nuclear
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weapon, that has now been eliminated as one
of the threats for that region.
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Now, after graduation, many of you will likely
serve tours across the Pacific.
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And as we gather here today, more than half
our Navy fleet is stationed in that region.
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We have boosted our missile defense assets,
we’ve increased the number of ships, and
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we’ve expanded the rotation of Marines in
and out of Australia.
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We’ve also forward-deployed strike groups
and hospital ships to the Western Pacific
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in order to collaborate with our allies on
joint military, humanitarian, and disaster
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relief exercises.
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Now here again, the link between military
readiness and effective diplomacy is absolutely
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key.
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The strength of our alliances and friendships
is going to make it easier for us to generate
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security cooperation, which you have to have
in today’s world to be effective.
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And it will help us prevent small disputes
from growing up into major crises.
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The success of our diplomacy, in turn, will
hinge to a considerable extent on the versatility
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and the credibility of American power.
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Now, I’ve said many times, as I said earlier
today, U.S. leadership is not only needed
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in the world, but in most places it is also
welcomed.
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And nowhere is that more the case than in
Asia.
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And the Navy without any question at all – all
of you – are going to pay – play a very
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critical part in our presence there and in
defining the diplomacy of the future.
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So finally, I just want to note that increasingly
when you travel the world, you will confront
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firsthand the challenges that are presented
by climate change.
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Some in our country, remarkably to me, still
are deniers or doubters.
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But virtually all the credited scientists
of our country and the world agree that human
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beings are contributing to this through choices
we make about how we power our nations.
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As our military leaders have repeatedly pointed
out, we’re not just talking about the problems
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that plague the air we breathe or the water
we drink.
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Those are pressing, but what we’re talking
about in the context of security are the social,
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political, security consequences that will
stem and are already being observed from rising
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record temperatures, from rising sea levels,
from water shortages, from famine, droughts,
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fires, outbreak of disease, and conflicts
over natural resources and mass migration
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and the destruction of vital infrastructure.
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That is precisely why President Obama and
I made a top priority to rally countries across
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the globe in support of a bold, ambitious
action to combat climate change.
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And that includes the Paris agreement, which
went into effect last year and which commits
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countries almost all around the world – 186
countries came together and agreed to reduce
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their emissions – and it includes other
major steps to reduce emissions of international
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airlines, as well as to change the hydrofluorocarbons
that we use in refrigerants.
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Just that alone could wind up in saving us
half a degree centigrade in the warming of
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the Earth.
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I’ll just share with you that I went down
to Antarctica a month or so ago, a couple
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months ago.
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And you see that ice sheet which in some places
is three miles deep, and you listen to the
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scientists from many countries, in the teens,
who are down there doing research, and they
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will tell you about the fragility of the great
Antarctic Ice Sheet.
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If that ice sheet were to melt in total over
the course of the next century, two centuries,
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you’ll see sea level rise of a hundred to
two hundred plus feet.
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Already, we’re going to see meters and already
Norfolk, Virginia and the base there are making
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adjustments because of the docks and the access
to the port, and so readiness is affected
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by what is already happening today.
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So I want to emphasize to you the degree to
which your voices and your engagement on these
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00:26:04,039 --> 00:26:06,169
issues are going to be critical.
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When a natural disaster strikes in a place
like the Caribbean or Southeast Asia, it’s
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the Navy and Marines who are often the very
first representatives of the United States
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00:26:16,539 --> 00:26:23,469
who are on the scene – and that makes you
our most important and effective ambassadors
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as well.
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This last point I can’t highlight enough:
as officers of our sea services, you are often
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00:26:30,919 --> 00:26:34,559
direct extensions of our foreign policy writ
large.
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And from practically the moment you leave
the confines of this campus, you’re going
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00:26:38,730 --> 00:26:43,860
to deploy and train with forces from around
the world, and you will interact directly
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with our diplomatic corps.
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And you will be writing the next chapter in
the long history of the Navy and Marine Corps
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and the leaders who have helped to establish
and strengthen alliances in every region of
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the world.
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That dates back to the earliest days of our
republic; and these folks have explored the
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00:27:04,279 --> 00:27:09,019
depths of the seas and the farthest reaches
of space, and they’ve charted the oceans
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00:27:09,019 --> 00:27:13,599
and they’ve stood on the cutting edge of
scientific discovery.
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00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:19,020
To quote Commodore Matthew Maury, an officer
considered the father of modern oceanography:
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“Navies are not all for wars.
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Peace has its conquests, science its glories.”
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00:27:28,529 --> 00:27:34,349
And I’ll tell you, this will be the case
for you as well – to serve not only as members
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00:27:34,350 --> 00:27:41,460
of the finest fighting force in history, but
as key envoys across the globe.
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So suffice it to say your jobs are not going
to be simple.
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I’m not going to sugarcoat it.
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The world is in a more complicated place right
now; you wouldn’t trust me if I didn’t
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acknowledge that.
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00:27:52,450 --> 00:27:58,490
And we all know that our country’s long
list of diplomatic and security challenges
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00:27:58,489 --> 00:28:03,869
never gets any shorter; every time you get
to the top of one mountain, it always seems
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00:28:03,870 --> 00:28:07,520
like there’s an even taller peak to scale.
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00:28:07,519 --> 00:28:12,689
But as you have no doubt learned here at the
Naval Academy, sometimes the only choice is
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00:28:12,690 --> 00:28:16,570
just to keep moving forward and keep reaching
higher.
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It can be a daunting task.
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But you know as well as I do that none of
you would be here if you weren’t up to that
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00:28:23,109 --> 00:28:29,229
task, if you didn’t have within you the
inherent character qualities of leadership
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that have long defined the men and women of
the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
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There are so many examples throughout history
of that.
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But I just want to tell you one that’s relevant
to me.
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There was a young Navy lieutenant from Massachusetts
who was deployed to Vietnam not long after
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I was, in 1969.
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His name was Tom Kelley – a friend of mine.
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00:28:54,220 --> 00:28:58,550
He commanded a river assault force of eight
boats on a mission to extract a U.S. Army
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infantry company from an area that was controlled
by the enemy.
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00:29:03,659 --> 00:29:08,769
And during the operation, his vessels came
under intensive fire from the opposite bank
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00:29:08,769 --> 00:29:14,009
of the river; one of them became disabled,
they were unable to lower the loading ramp
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or get underway.
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00:29:16,059 --> 00:29:21,769
So Kelley ordered the other boats to form
a defensive line, brought his vessel to the
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00:29:21,769 --> 00:29:29,129
front where the incoming fire was most intense,
and suddenly, a rocket crashed beside him,
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penetrating the boat’s armor and spraying
shrapnel into his neck.
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00:29:34,659 --> 00:29:38,339
Kelley couldn’t stand, he couldn’t speak,
he had suffered the permanent loss of one
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00:29:38,340 --> 00:29:44,010
eye; but he was still able to transmit commands
through one of his sailors, and he did so
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00:29:44,010 --> 00:29:49,780
until the injured boat was repaired and moved
out into safety and the convoy moved out.
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He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his
actions.
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00:29:53,009 --> 00:29:58,899
His steadiness in command reminds me of that
shown by another Navy Lieutenant from Massachusetts,
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00:29:58,899 --> 00:30:04,689
President Kennedy, who had a long career as
a U.S. Congressman and a Senator, and then
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00:30:04,690 --> 00:30:11,180
Commander-in-Chief, but through it all, he
never forgot where his service began.
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00:30:11,179 --> 00:30:18,139
And on an August day in 1963, just three months
before his assassination, he came here to
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00:30:18,140 --> 00:30:24,150
this campus and he told a group of midshipmen
“Any man who may be asked…what he did
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00:30:24,150 --> 00:30:30,910
to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond
with a good deal of pride and satisfaction:
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00:30:30,909 --> 00:30:33,429
I served in the United States Navy.”
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That was President Kennedy.
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I couldn’t agree more – because that declaration
is a sign of the courage and the character
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00:30:41,130 --> 00:30:47,920
and the commitment and the patriotism of anyone
who is afforded the privilege of attending
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this great institution.
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00:30:49,980 --> 00:30:55,740
And I know looking around this hall at all
of you that that tradition of service and
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00:30:55,740 --> 00:31:01,520
the honor of that calling remains very much
in the best of hands.
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So I thank you for your service and your sacrifice
even now.
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May God bless you and your families and bless
always the United States of America.
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Thank you.
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(Applause.)
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I’d be delighted to answer a few questions.
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Let me introduce John Kirby.
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He’s actually Admiral John Kirby.
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And we stole him from the Pentagon and he
had to hang up his uniform, but he served
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00:31:38,610 --> 00:31:42,170
as spokesman over there and he’s been the
spokesman for the State Department, and his
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00:31:42,169 --> 00:31:45,599
whole family is Navy – his son, his daughter,
everybody’s Navy.
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So have at it, John.
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00:31:47,269 --> 00:31:48,269
MR KIRBY: Thank you, sir.
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00:31:48,269 --> 00:31:51,299
I think we’ve got time for a few questions
and I think the first one is supposed to be
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coming from Midshipman First Class Park.
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Is that right?
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00:31:53,789 --> 00:31:54,789
QUESTION: Yes, sir.
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00:31:54,789 --> 00:31:55,789
MR KIRBY: Go for it.
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00:31:55,789 --> 00:31:56,789
Here.
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00:31:56,789 --> 00:31:59,839
SECRETARY KERRY: I don’t know how much time
we have, but if we have a few minutes extra
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– and I’ll try not to go too long – I’m
happy to take a couple extra if anybody’s
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been somehow motivated to ask something more.
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Go ahead.
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QUESTION: Sir.
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00:32:09,820 --> 00:32:10,820
Good afternoon, sir.
377
00:32:10,820 --> 00:32:12,420
Midshipman First Class Jin Soo Park from 16th
Company.
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00:32:12,419 --> 00:32:13,779
My question for you is --
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00:32:13,779 --> 00:32:15,369
SECRETARY KERRY: Hold the mic up close.
380
00:32:15,372 --> 00:32:16,372
There you go.
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00:32:16,372 --> 00:32:20,062
QUESTION: My question for you is: As you reflect
back on your military career during the Vietnam
382
00:32:20,059 --> 00:32:24,809
era, can you think of a leadership lesson
or life lesson a mentor or leader gave you
383
00:32:24,810 --> 00:32:29,800
that you carried throughout your public service,
political career, and your role as Secretary
384
00:32:29,799 --> 00:32:30,799
of State?
385
00:32:30,799 --> 00:32:34,739
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I think I sort of described
one to you a moment ago, but I think going
386
00:32:34,739 --> 00:32:46,029
further than that, I’d just say to you that
the greatest lesson I learned is that you
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00:32:46,029 --> 00:32:53,539
have the bars, and eventually you may even
have the multiple stripes and you have a lot
388
00:32:53,539 --> 00:32:58,719
of power, but it’s not the stripe that gives
you the authority – although there’s a
389
00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:00,970
certain obvious automatic to that – it’s
you.
390
00:33:00,970 --> 00:33:05,060
It’s how you behave; it’s how you lead.
391
00:33:05,059 --> 00:33:13,729
It’s not the saying and telling somebody
to do something; it’s how you lead and respect
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00:33:13,729 --> 00:33:15,909
the people who work with you.
393
00:33:15,909 --> 00:33:18,439
It’s family.
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00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:22,230
When we served – when I was in Vietnam on
the boat, I was the lieutenant.
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00:33:22,232 --> 00:33:28,292
I was the only lieutenant on the boat and
we had radar men and boatswain’s mate and
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00:33:28,289 --> 00:33:34,789
so on and so forth – gunner’s mates, et
cetera – but we never kind of got too formal
397
00:33:34,789 --> 00:33:36,159
about it all.
398
00:33:36,159 --> 00:33:41,799
Everybody understood where the authority came
from, but it was the sharing of responsibility
399
00:33:41,799 --> 00:33:49,789
and the sharing of the pain and the suffering
and the hardness of it, and if you ever forget
400
00:33:49,789 --> 00:33:54,229
that, it’s going to be very hard to be the
full measure of leader that you want to be
401
00:33:54,230 --> 00:33:56,530
and that people would expect you to be.
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00:33:56,529 --> 00:34:01,659
So I just think, remember, the people around
you are part of the family, even as you maintain
403
00:34:01,659 --> 00:34:12,399
the necessary authority through the respect
that they will have for you because they know
404
00:34:12,399 --> 00:34:13,599
you’re commanding in the right way.
405
00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:19,200
I think that’s the most important thing
I learned: Always take care of the troops.
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00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:29,110
MR KIRBY: Next question.
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00:34:29,109 --> 00:34:39,449
QUESTION: Sir, Midshipman First Class Nico
Shyne, 4th Company.
408
00:34:39,450 --> 00:34:43,340
Information age technologies have fundamentally
altered how people and states interact.
409
00:34:43,339 --> 00:34:46,849
As you mentioned in your comments, traditional
diplomatic and military actions were carried
410
00:34:46,850 --> 00:34:48,020
out between nation-states.
411
00:34:48,020 --> 00:34:53,190
However, the increasingly low cost of entry
for emerging technology means non-state actors
412
00:34:53,190 --> 00:34:57,800
wield significantly more power than they did
before cyberspace was an active domain.
413
00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:02,120
As Secretary of State, what emerging technologies
or concept altered your department’s role
414
00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:05,390
and America’s role on the international
stage and how did you adapt to meet these
415
00:35:05,390 --> 00:35:06,390
changes?
416
00:35:06,390 --> 00:35:08,360
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, it’s a great question,
Nico.
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00:35:08,359 --> 00:35:15,019
We’ve been moving really rapidly – as
rapidly as we can – to try to change our
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00:35:15,020 --> 00:35:20,480
response to this advance of technology.
419
00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:24,090
ISIL has been particularly adept.
420
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It was surprisingly adept in the beginning
at proselytizing through the social media,
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and we were simply not in a place to be able
to adequately respond right away.
422
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But we knew we had to, so we adapted very
significantly.
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We now have a Global Engagement Center in
the State Department which is manned by a
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00:35:46,849 --> 00:35:53,529
massive group – not big enough, in my judgment,
but it has grown significantly – of digitally
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00:35:53,530 --> 00:36:01,120
capable folks who know how to use the social
media effectively.
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We’ve coordinated with the United Arab Emirates,
with the Saudis and others, to build centers
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00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:16,180
in those countries which are staffed by indigenous
population so that we now have a capacity
428
00:36:16,180 --> 00:36:24,670
to go out in multiple languages – Urdu,
Arabic, Somali; I mean, whatever – and communicate
429
00:36:24,670 --> 00:36:25,670
effectively.
430
00:36:25,670 --> 00:36:35,970
And we are now doing by exponentially – by
X factor, we are swamping the capacity of
431
00:36:35,970 --> 00:36:41,320
Daesh to be able to do what they were doing
previously.
432
00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:43,750
Now, we’ve also done a bunch of other things.
433
00:36:43,750 --> 00:36:45,920
We’ve cut off their finance.
434
00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:51,670
We’ve targeted their oil production capacity
which they used to raise money.
435
00:36:51,670 --> 00:36:56,650
We have significantly closed the portals for
the movement of foreign fighters.
436
00:36:56,650 --> 00:37:00,850
We used to have about a thousand a month or
a week that were going in.
437
00:37:00,849 --> 00:37:04,619
We cut that down to 500 – now it’s a trickle.
438
00:37:04,619 --> 00:37:08,049
And that’s work we’ve done outside of
technology, but using technology, because
439
00:37:08,051 --> 00:37:13,681
we’ve got watch lists on aircraft, we’ve
got incredible sharing of information with
440
00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:17,670
other countries, all of which is through the
technology platform.
441
00:37:17,670 --> 00:37:22,620
So the result is we’re more nimble, we’re
much faster, we’re much more efficient and
442
00:37:22,619 --> 00:37:25,109
effective, and shutting down their space.
443
00:37:25,109 --> 00:37:29,559
In addition, we’ve taken most of their leadership
off the battlefield.
444
00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:34,290
We’ve been incredibly effective at high-value-added
targets, high-value targets.
445
00:37:34,289 --> 00:37:41,849
You may have read just yesterday we took out
another group of plotters.
446
00:37:41,850 --> 00:37:47,650
We’re effective at staying ahead of many
of these plots through our SIGINT and so forth.
447
00:37:47,650 --> 00:37:53,040
So we’re becoming much better at it.
448
00:37:53,040 --> 00:38:01,930
In the Global Engagement Center, we have built
a capacity to put advertisements out – or
449
00:38:01,930 --> 00:38:09,080
advertise is the wrong word – narratives,
counter-narrative that we put out using people
450
00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:17,390
who were previously jihadis but who realized
the emptiness of what they were being asked
451
00:38:17,390 --> 00:38:21,780
to do and the false promises that were being
made to them, and they come back and tell
452
00:38:21,780 --> 00:38:22,780
the story.
453
00:38:22,780 --> 00:38:24,140
That’s the most effective thing.
454
00:38:24,140 --> 00:38:28,680
One of the things we learned in terms of adaptability
is we’re the worst messengers.
455
00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:34,910
We need to find people who can validate that
message just through who they are and what
456
00:38:34,910 --> 00:38:39,180
their background is and their native language
and so forth.
457
00:38:39,180 --> 00:38:43,660
But I think we’re getting pretty skilled
at it now, and it has made a real difference
458
00:38:43,660 --> 00:38:44,880
in our effort to isolate.
459
00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:51,470
We’ve now taken back about 65 percent of
the land in Iraq that Daesh/ISIL had taken.
460
00:38:51,470 --> 00:38:58,760
We’ve liberated Ramadi, Tikrit, Mosul, Fallujah
– Mosul, we’re now about 45 percent into
461
00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:03,350
the eastern part of Mosul, and I am convinced
over the course of the next year we’re going
462
00:39:03,349 --> 00:39:04,349
to defeat Daesh.
463
00:39:04,349 --> 00:39:06,519
No question in my mind.
464
00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:10,800
The challenge is there’s a Boko Haram out
there, there’s an al-Shabaab out there,
465
00:39:10,799 --> 00:39:16,009
there’s Jaish-e-Mohammad out there, there’s
Lashkar-e Tayyiba, there’s countless different
466
00:39:16,010 --> 00:39:17,540
players.
467
00:39:17,540 --> 00:39:22,750
And so this is going to be a long-term effort
for us to stay ahead of the curve, protect
468
00:39:22,750 --> 00:39:30,240
the homeland, but also protect our allies
and friends and win back the rule of law and
469
00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:34,270
the basic structure by which the world needs
to organize itself.
470
00:39:34,270 --> 00:39:36,910
And that’s what we’re going to be working
at.
471
00:39:36,910 --> 00:39:42,590
MR KIRBY: I think our next question comes
from Midshipman First Class Johnson.
472
00:39:42,589 --> 00:39:49,339
Is that right?
473
00:39:49,339 --> 00:39:56,089
QUESTION: Thank you.
474
00:39:56,089 --> 00:39:59,129
Midshipman First Class Johnson.
475
00:39:59,130 --> 00:40:00,920
I’m from the 16th Company.
476
00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:05,070
Sir, my question for you deals specifically
with recent threats made by North Korea to
477
00:40:05,069 --> 00:40:10,379
develop and deploy a nuclear ICBM that has
a capability to threaten not only our allies
478
00:40:10,380 --> 00:40:13,680
in Asia, but potentially the western United
States as well.
479
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:18,270
The statements by the North Korean leadership
and continued development of their nuclear
480
00:40:18,270 --> 00:40:23,180
weapons program is in direct violation of
UN Resolution 50, as well as past and present
481
00:40:23,180 --> 00:40:25,330
U.S. administration policies.
482
00:40:25,330 --> 00:40:29,780
What specific recommendation or advice would
you offer the new incoming administration
483
00:40:29,779 --> 00:40:32,229
to stop the development and deployment of
nuclear weapons?
484
00:40:32,230 --> 00:40:35,420
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, my – it’s an excellent
question.
485
00:40:35,420 --> 00:40:40,240
I mean, my advice to the next administration
is that this is at the top.
486
00:40:40,240 --> 00:40:46,230
I don’t get into first or second or third,
but this is at the top of a short group of
487
00:40:46,230 --> 00:40:48,020
major priorities.
488
00:40:48,020 --> 00:40:51,650
This is one of the most serious, if not the
most serious.
489
00:40:51,650 --> 00:41:05,010
There’s a reckless dictator who holds his
country effectively in a gulag, in a kind
490
00:41:05,010 --> 00:41:06,400
of prison.
491
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:18,960
We don’t – he’s unpredictable, and recklessness
and unpredictability for somebody who has
492
00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:27,170
their hands on nuclear weapons is a very genuine
threat, and particularly as they pursue intercontinental
493
00:41:27,170 --> 00:41:32,490
ballistic capacity, which would threaten the
United States of America.
494
00:41:32,490 --> 00:41:38,890
We have made it crystal clear to the Chinese,
the Japanese, the Koreans, who are most immediately
495
00:41:38,890 --> 00:41:46,950
also threatened, and to the – to North Korea,
that we will not accept them as a nuclear
496
00:41:46,950 --> 00:41:48,650
state.
497
00:41:48,650 --> 00:41:56,840
Now, we will make it clear to the incoming
administration that there are diplomatic ways
498
00:41:56,839 --> 00:42:00,499
of increasing the pressure, which we’ve
been ratcheting up.
499
00:42:00,500 --> 00:42:07,420
We’ve now passed two United Nations Security
Council resolutions that are focused on the
500
00:42:07,420 --> 00:42:13,500
nuclear weaponry, and we’ve increasingly
been able to bring China to the table to increase
501
00:42:13,500 --> 00:42:20,220
its pressure on North Korea with the hopes
that we can get back to the Six-Party Talks
502
00:42:20,220 --> 00:42:28,180
– with Russia included, and Japan, and Korea,
ourselves, and China – so that we can try
503
00:42:28,180 --> 00:42:32,690
to negotiate a way out of this predicament,
as we did with Iran.
504
00:42:32,690 --> 00:42:39,960
Now, the distinction is that Iran did not
have a nuclear weapon.
505
00:42:39,960 --> 00:42:44,020
But we had a very tough sanctions regime on
them because of their activities that were
506
00:42:44,020 --> 00:42:47,020
heading in that direction.
507
00:42:47,020 --> 00:42:52,720
North Korea has nuclear weaponry, and less
of a competent sanctions regime.
508
00:42:52,720 --> 00:42:53,720
Why?
509
00:42:53,720 --> 00:42:57,300
Because North Korea doesn’t have much of
an economy and they don’t have a terrific
510
00:42:57,299 --> 00:43:02,059
set of tentacles out there in the global community
that you can bring the hammer down on.
511
00:43:02,059 --> 00:43:08,559
That’s why we think China is so critical
to a resolution of the North Korea problem.
512
00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:09,560
Why?
513
00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:18,580
Because China provides 100 percent of the
fuel that goes to North Korea – every airplane,
514
00:43:18,580 --> 00:43:24,010
every truck, every car that moves in North
Korea gets its fuel from China – and because
515
00:43:24,010 --> 00:43:33,510
China also is the facilitator, through Beijing,
for the banking system and for whatever movement
516
00:43:33,510 --> 00:43:39,010
of commerce there is, of money, et cetera,
for the North Koreans.
517
00:43:39,010 --> 00:43:44,630
So we really think China needs to increase
its focus.
518
00:43:44,630 --> 00:43:47,200
We’ve got them to do it twice now.
519
00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:52,840
My counsel to the next administration will
be to work with China very, very closely and
520
00:43:52,840 --> 00:43:57,570
try to get the Chinese to, in fact, have a
greater impact on the North in order to affect
521
00:43:57,570 --> 00:43:58,570
their behavior.
522
00:43:58,570 --> 00:44:02,690
Now, there is a point here where this gets
dangerous, and it’s getting close to it
523
00:44:02,690 --> 00:44:04,580
right now.
524
00:44:04,579 --> 00:44:10,279
Because if he persists, as he said he would
the other day, in moving forward on the intercontinental
525
00:44:10,280 --> 00:44:17,990
ballistic missile front, it more immediately
drags the United States into an immediate
526
00:44:17,990 --> 00:44:27,280
threat situation, to which we then may have
to find other ways or more forceful ways of
527
00:44:27,279 --> 00:44:30,299
having an impact on the choices that he is
making.
528
00:44:30,299 --> 00:44:35,129
So this is a very big issue, but for the moment,
I think we need the international community
529
00:44:35,130 --> 00:44:41,440
continuing to put pressure and to try to make
it clear of all the benefits that could accrue
530
00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:44,220
to North Korea if they made a different set
of choices.
531
00:44:44,220 --> 00:44:49,160
Specifically, we’ve told them we’re prepared
to negotiate economic assistance.
532
00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:53,580
We’re prepared to negotiate their normalization
of a relationship with the world.
533
00:44:53,580 --> 00:44:55,410
We’re prepared to lift sanctions.
534
00:44:55,410 --> 00:45:00,830
We’re prepared to work on the issue of peace
between North and South in Korea and the whole
535
00:45:00,829 --> 00:45:04,639
issue of the demarcation line and the armistice.
536
00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:07,670
Remember, there’s no peace agreement in
North Korea.
537
00:45:07,670 --> 00:45:09,350
It’s an armistice.
538
00:45:09,349 --> 00:45:17,069
So that is yet a war to be fully ended, and
we have offered literally peace.
539
00:45:17,070 --> 00:45:22,360
And conceivably, depending on what happens
in the long run, re-deployment of forces and
540
00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:23,360
other kinds of things.
541
00:45:23,360 --> 00:45:27,820
In the meantime, we’ve deployed Aegis in
the region.
542
00:45:27,819 --> 00:45:33,699
We’re contemplating the deployment of THAAD
in order to protect ourselves.
543
00:45:33,700 --> 00:45:38,090
And we will do what we need to do to protect
the United States of America and our friends
544
00:45:38,089 --> 00:45:39,089
and allies.
545
00:45:39,089 --> 00:45:43,379
MR KIRBY: The next question comes from Midshipman
First Class Larkin.
546
00:45:43,380 --> 00:45:46,520
QUESTION: Good afternoon, sir.
547
00:45:46,520 --> 00:45:52,790
Midshipman First Class David Larkin from Fourth
Company.
548
00:45:52,790 --> 00:45:58,600
Sir, you and the admiral mentioned how in
Vietnam you served as an OSC of a swift boat
549
00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:02,930
and you were awarded the Silver Star, a Bronze
Star, and three Purple Hearts.
550
00:46:02,930 --> 00:46:06,280
When you returned, you joined the Vietnam
Veterans Against the War organization and
551
00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:11,590
spoke openly against the war, despite or perhaps
because of your involvement in the war.
552
00:46:11,590 --> 00:46:15,640
Can you explain what led you to that decision
to speak against the war and how we, as future
553
00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:17,510
officers, might face a similar decision?
554
00:46:17,510 --> 00:46:23,690
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I hope you never face
a similar decision, because I hope that one
555
00:46:23,690 --> 00:46:29,980
of the lessons we all learned in Vietnam and
during that long period of time, which was
556
00:46:29,980 --> 00:46:34,850
extremely difficult in this country – I
hope we learned that we’re not going to
557
00:46:34,850 --> 00:46:42,910
lie to the American people, and I hope we
learned that we will do due diligence in figuring
558
00:46:42,910 --> 00:46:49,740
out what is going on in a particular country
before we decide to go in and before we commit
559
00:46:49,740 --> 00:46:55,070
the lives and the treasure of our nation into
combat.
560
00:46:55,070 --> 00:47:00,910
We kind of drifted into Vietnam, with all
due respect.
561
00:47:00,910 --> 00:47:04,730
And you need to – in your history courses,
maybe some of you have already studied this,
562
00:47:04,730 --> 00:47:09,720
et cetera, but you should go back and read
Bernard Fall; you should read about the French
563
00:47:09,720 --> 00:47:15,970
experience; you should read about – one
of the best books in the world on the subject
564
00:47:15,970 --> 00:47:21,830
of Vietnam is “A Bright Shining Lie” by
Neil Sheehan.
565
00:47:21,829 --> 00:47:28,409
But there just were – it began in the late
1950s really, and into the ’60s.
566
00:47:28,410 --> 00:47:30,110
The CIA was involved, others.
567
00:47:30,109 --> 00:47:34,979
And then the French were defeated at Dien
Bien Phu, and the United States sort of came
568
00:47:34,980 --> 00:47:36,380
into it.
569
00:47:36,380 --> 00:47:43,130
And we came into it significantly because
we saw the world then in the context of the
570
00:47:43,130 --> 00:47:48,590
Soviet Union and the United States, the West
and the big bear and the whole concept of
571
00:47:48,590 --> 00:47:53,740
communism, and communism and the domino theory
taking over Southeast Asia.
572
00:47:53,740 --> 00:48:00,700
And I went over there to ostensibly fight
against communism and stop the – to be part
573
00:48:00,700 --> 00:48:06,440
of this effort to deal with the alleged attack
that took place in the Gulf of Tonkin and
574
00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:07,930
so forth.
575
00:48:07,930 --> 00:48:14,710
So the war was raging in 1964, ’65, ’66,
’67.
576
00:48:14,710 --> 00:48:21,540
I didn’t get over there till ’68, and
I came back in ’69, and I didn’t protest
577
00:48:21,539 --> 00:48:24,589
the war until ’71.
578
00:48:24,589 --> 00:48:29,949
And when I did protest it, it was the longest
war in American history, and we were losing.
579
00:48:29,950 --> 00:48:34,700
We’d lost, by that period, some 50,000-plus
lives.
580
00:48:34,700 --> 00:48:40,080
And many of us who fought over there – not
everybody, people had different views – but
581
00:48:40,079 --> 00:48:46,299
many of us who fought over there came back
with a sense that we were not, in fact, fighting
582
00:48:46,299 --> 00:48:51,929
for what we had been told we were going to
fight for.
583
00:48:51,930 --> 00:48:52,930
And I saw that.
584
00:48:52,930 --> 00:48:54,520
I mean, I saw that in the villages.
585
00:48:54,519 --> 00:48:59,899
I saw that when I was on that boat in the
rivers, and we’d go into a hamlet and you’d
586
00:48:59,900 --> 00:49:04,340
see the way people were looking at you, and
you began to learn and feel how the enemy
587
00:49:04,339 --> 00:49:05,339
was behaving.
588
00:49:05,339 --> 00:49:10,769
And the enemy there was principally Vietcong
who were the southern part of the front of
589
00:49:10,769 --> 00:49:12,539
their effort.
590
00:49:12,539 --> 00:49:17,629
And what I discerned – and I think most
people, if you go back and read the history,
591
00:49:17,630 --> 00:49:22,550
had earlier discerned – was that this was
a civil war.
592
00:49:22,549 --> 00:49:28,199
This was a war for liberation from the French
initially, and then from us.
593
00:49:28,200 --> 00:49:38,650
And that no amount of troops was going to
ultimately make the difference.
594
00:49:38,650 --> 00:49:45,840
And so those of us who came back, a number
of us who came back, became part of an effort
595
00:49:45,839 --> 00:49:54,199
of people who really felt that we were patriotic,
that we were acting as patriots to stand up
596
00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:58,670
for our country, to stand up for a better
policy, to stand up for what we thought was
597
00:49:58,670 --> 00:50:00,180
right.
598
00:50:00,180 --> 00:50:05,490
And at that point in time – and I think
the books since then, the analysis of General
599
00:50:05,490 --> 00:50:13,960
Westmoreland’s experience, of Robert McNamara
who was the defense secretary at the time,
600
00:50:13,960 --> 00:50:19,330
Melvin Laird was defense secretary before
him – I just saw too many things that didn’t
601
00:50:19,329 --> 00:50:21,799
pan out.
602
00:50:21,799 --> 00:50:26,109
I can remember missions we were sent on and
I’d read about them in Stars and Stripes
603
00:50:26,109 --> 00:50:30,869
or somewhere and I’d say, “Boy, that wasn’t
the mission I was on.”
604
00:50:30,869 --> 00:50:32,579
But I was on it.
605
00:50:32,579 --> 00:50:40,759
And we saw too many of those kinds of deceptions,
and if you read Bright Shining Lie and a great
606
00:50:40,760 --> 00:50:45,720
warrior, John Paul Vann’s story in the war,
you’ll really understand how things can
607
00:50:45,720 --> 00:50:46,810
go awry.
608
00:50:46,809 --> 00:50:52,109
Now, we thought we’d made all the decisions
not to sort of repeat that and we saw what
609
00:50:52,109 --> 00:50:58,759
happened in Iraq, where it turned out there
weren’t weapons of mass destruction.
610
00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:03,120
And I will just tell all of you today, half
of what we’re dealing with in the Middle
611
00:51:03,119 --> 00:51:15,759
East comes out of the residual effects, the
fallout of the war in Iraq.
612
00:51:15,760 --> 00:51:21,810
The place was not divided by Shia and Sunni
before that war.
613
00:51:21,809 --> 00:51:30,179
We didn’t have the topsy-turviness of what
you see in the region until then, and it has
614
00:51:30,180 --> 00:51:37,690
highlighted sectarianism and other challenges
in the region – proxy players and other
615
00:51:37,690 --> 00:51:41,550
kinds of things – in a very, very negative
way.
616
00:51:41,549 --> 00:51:45,659
So I believe what we did was the right thing
to do to this day.
617
00:51:45,660 --> 00:51:51,310
I will tell you that, obviously, some people
were very angry at me for it.
618
00:51:51,309 --> 00:51:57,779
It even came up in the course of my race for
the presidency, so you can pay a price for
619
00:51:57,779 --> 00:52:02,289
doing what you think is right, but I’m convinced
that what I did was the right thing.
620
00:52:02,290 --> 00:52:07,870
I stood up for the truth and I think the truth
has been documented in many different places
621
00:52:07,869 --> 00:52:10,709
over the course of time.
622
00:52:10,710 --> 00:52:11,710
Thank you.
623
00:52:11,710 --> 00:52:20,200
MR KIRBY: Sir, we’ve got time for one last
question and that will be from Midshipman
624
00:52:20,200 --> 00:52:23,640
First Class Lee.
625
00:52:23,640 --> 00:52:28,230
QUESTION: Good afternoon, sir.
626
00:52:28,230 --> 00:52:30,820
I’m Midshipman Fourth Class Austin Cradle,
Second Company.
627
00:52:30,819 --> 00:52:31,819
SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon.
628
00:52:31,819 --> 00:52:36,529
QUESTION: My question for you, sir, is: Are
private morality and political morality distinct?
629
00:52:36,529 --> 00:52:40,089
And if so, what principles should govern political
action?
630
00:52:40,089 --> 00:52:51,219
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, they shouldn’t be
extinct, or distinct, but there are times
631
00:52:51,220 --> 00:52:55,430
when you wonder.
632
00:52:55,430 --> 00:52:58,430
Right is right and wrong is wrong.
633
00:52:58,430 --> 00:53:04,430
Now, there is a distinction between digging
into somebody’s personal life in ways that
634
00:53:04,430 --> 00:53:09,420
has no business being somehow part of the
public discourse – that’s different.
635
00:53:09,420 --> 00:53:14,150
But that’s not necessarily, I think, the
question of your test between private morality
636
00:53:14,150 --> 00:53:16,440
and public morality.
637
00:53:16,440 --> 00:53:18,390
I mean, stealing is stealing.
638
00:53:18,390 --> 00:53:22,330
Telling a lie is telling a lie.
639
00:53:22,329 --> 00:53:33,179
And all the things in between that constitute
morality absolutely belong on somebody’s
640
00:53:33,180 --> 00:53:39,220
sleeve in terms of public behavior, and I
don’t think it should be separated.
641
00:53:39,220 --> 00:53:44,850
Now – but I do separate from that – I
think people have the privilege and right,
642
00:53:44,849 --> 00:53:50,939
obviously, of privacy of their home and I
don’t think – and I think a lot of stuff
643
00:53:50,940 --> 00:54:00,020
that people try to throw into politics is
sometimes irrelevant to their capacity to
644
00:54:00,019 --> 00:54:01,019
govern effectively.
645
00:54:01,019 --> 00:54:12,299
But if you can’t tell the truth and you
don’t know how to be moral as a person,
646
00:54:12,299 --> 00:54:18,999
it’s hard to stand up for the morality of
a nation and for the immorality of other people’s
647
00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:20,000
choices.
648
00:54:20,000 --> 00:54:23,550
And so I think that they are not particularly
distinct writ large.
649
00:54:23,550 --> 00:54:25,980
QUESTION: Thank you, sir.
650
00:54:25,980 --> 00:54:28,150
SECRETARY KERRY: Is that it?
651
00:54:28,150 --> 00:54:29,730
I’m getting the anchor here, the pull.
652
00:54:29,730 --> 00:54:35,040
MODERATOR: Sir, (inaudible) the hook, but
on behalf of the brigade of midshipmen and
653
00:54:35,039 --> 00:54:41,279
the entire Naval Academy, I want to say thank
you for taking such special time and care
654
00:54:41,279 --> 00:54:45,379
to come and talk, your candor, and not just
your service to the United States Navy, but
655
00:54:45,380 --> 00:54:46,380
to our nation.
656
00:54:46,380 --> 00:54:47,380
Thank you all very much.
657
00:54:47,380 --> 00:54:48,380
Let’s please give the Secretary a round
of applause.
658
00:54:48,380 --> 00:54:49,180
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much.
