Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I come to the floor today to honor a great American on his retirement. ADM James G. Stavridis will retire at the end of this month after a distinguished Navy career lasting 37 years. During that career, he commanded forces at several levels, including a destroyer, a destroyer squadron, and a carrier strike group. He has also held significant joint commands, including U.S. Southern Command and, most recently, U.S. European Command, EUCOM, and Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. Of note, he was the first Navy officer to command EUCOM. At EUCOM, Admiral Stavridis had the very difficult task of ensuring that the members of the coalition operating in Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, pulled together as a coherent team to support NATO strategic objectives there. In this position, Admiral Stavridis was a steady voice upon whom we could always rely for an accurate assessment of the facts on the ground. Admiral Stavridis was a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Naval War College, and the National War College. He also was an outstanding student at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, where he earned two degrees: a doctor of philosophy and a master of arts in law and diplomacy. Admiral Stavridis has been a strong leader of the men and women in his commands, but he has also been a leading strategic thinker with the Department.…”