[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10481]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO ADMIRAL SAMUEL LOCKLEAR

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, after a lifetime of service to our Nation, 
ADM Samuel J. Locklear III recently stepped down as Commander of United 
States Pacific Command and retired from the U.S. Navy. On this 
occasion, I wish to honor Admiral Locklear's 43 years of distinguished 
uniformed service to our Nation.
  Admiral Locklear graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1977. He 
has led at every level from command-at-sea to theater command. Prior to 
assuming command of the United States Pacific Command, he commanded 
U.S. Naval Forces Europe and concurrently, U.S. Naval Forces Africa and 
NATO's Commander of the Allied Joint Force Command, where his 
leadership was instrumental in galvanizing an effective coalition of 18 
NATO nations to support the complex Libya air campaign.
  At Pacific Command, Admiral Locklear provided the strategic vision 
required to lead in a region vital to America's future peace and 
prosperity. He has presided over the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific with 
an even-keeled leadership approach that has focused our Nation in a 
time of difficult security challenges and austere budgets. Pacific 
Command is the oldest and largest of our geographic commands 
encompassing roughly half of the Earth's surface, extending from pole 
to pole and across the vastness of two great oceans. Admiral Locklear 
skillfully navigated the complexities and competing interests of this 
expansive theater. He has worked to strengthen alliances, reinvigorate 
old ones, cultivate new partnerships, and maintain a robust forward 
presence to assure and defend our allies and partners.
  Admiral Locklear's legacy of service will be as a driving force 
behind a renewed commitment to protecting America's enduring interests 
in the Asia-Pacific region. When the Nation needed its very best in 
military experience, leadership, and advice to confront the challenges 
and threats we face globally, Admiral Locklear answered the call.
  I join many past and present members of the Senate Armed Services 
Committee in my gratitude to ADM Samuel Locklear for his outstanding 
leadership and his unwavering commitment to the peace and stability of 
the Asia-Pacific region. His impact will continue into the coming 
decades and our Navy and our Nation will feel his absence. I wish him 
and his wife Pam ``fair winds and following seas.''

                          ____________________