[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 21, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3654-S3655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RETIREMENT OF ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS

  Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, today I honor a superb leader, scholar, 
and warrior. After a lifetime of service to our Nation, ADM James G. 
Stavridis is retiring from the U.S. Navy and his position as Commander 
of the United States European Command. On this occasion, I believe it 
is fitting to recognize Admiral Stavridis' years of distinguished 
uniformed service to our Nation.
  The admiral is a 1976 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval 
Academy. He has led at every level from command-at-sea to theater 
command. Admiral Stavridis has also served as a strategic planner for 
the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, and as the senior military assistant to the Secretary of 
Defense. Prior to assuming command of the United States European 
Command, he commanded the U.S. Southern Command, focused on Latin 
America and the Caribbean. Admiral Stavridis assumed command of 
European Command on June 30, 2009, the first naval officer to hold this 
command.
  Admiral Stavridis' contributions to scholarship are also notable. He 
has graduated with distinction from the Naval Academy, the Naval War 
College, the National War College, and the

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Fletcher School at Tufts University, where he earned a doctorate of 
philosophy in international relations. He has been frequently published 
by many publications, including Foreign Affairs, and the United States 
Naval Institute's Proceedings. Admiral Stavridis was even featured in a 
2012 TED Global where he spoke about the future of global security.
  His leadership has been consistently recognized formally and 
informally, to include the Battenberg Cup for the top ship in the 
Atlantic Fleet, and the John Paul Jones Award for inspirational 
leadership. Admiral Stavridis' impact on the sailors and the fleet has 
been indelible. He is the author or coauthor of seminal works on naval 
leadership, including ``Command At Sea.'' His impact on soldiers, 
sailors, airmen, and marines will continue well into the future.
  Our Navy and our Nation will feel his absence. I join many past and 
present members of the Senate Armed Services Committee in my gratitude 
to ADM James Stavridis for his outstanding leadership and his 
unwavering support of servicemembers. I wish him and his wife Laura 
``fair winds and following seas.''

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