SECNAV Visits Notre Dame

Courtesy Photo | NOTRE DAME, Ind. (Nov. 18, 2019) – The Secretary of the Navy, The Honorable Richard V. Spencer, middle, poses for a photo with Midshipman assigned to the Naval Reserve Officers Training unit of the University of Notre Dame following his talk to the Notre Dame International Security Center. Spencer spent nearly an hour speaking with NROTC Midshipmen about great power competition, national military strategy, and current issues in the fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Midshipman 1st Class Andrew Slattery)  

NOTRE DAME, IN, UNITED STATES

11.18.2019

Courtesy Story

Naval Service Training Command     

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (NNS) – Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer visited the University of Notre Dame and its Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps unit, Nov 18.

Spencer spent nearly an hour speaking with midshipmen about great power competition, national military strategy, and current issues in the fleet.

“As midshipmen, we appreciate every opportunity to see the Navy and Marine Corps through the eyes of its leadership,” said Battalion Commanding Officer, NROTC Unit, University of Notre Dame, Midshipman 1st Class Hunter Mortemore. “Hearing the Secretary’s vision for the Navy and Marine Corps integrated team in the context of a renewed great power competition pushed us to expand our understanding of how we will be a strategic asset in the future, and strengthened both our motivation to serve and our confidence that America’s naval service will be ready when the country needs us most.”

During the visit, Spencer also met with University President Father John Jenkins, and other Notre Dame leaders. He also toured Notre Dame Stadium and visited White Field Research Lab. White Field is part of the Institute for Flow Physics and Control, which conducts wind tunnel, compression, and turbine jet engine component testing.

NROTC units train and educate future Navy and Marine Corps officers while they simultaneously earn bachelor’s degrees, so visits from senior Navy and Marine Corps leadership are an important part of midshipmen education Students learn about leadership’s understanding of naval operations and gain experience interacting with high-ranking individuals.

“The visit from the secretary of the Navy to the University of Notre Dame was a great opportunity to engage students, midshipmen, and faculty on the importance of the national military strategy and the solutions to the issues our Navy and Marine Corps team face every day,” said Commanding Officer, NROTC Unit, University of Notre Dame Capt. Mark Prokopius.

The NROTC program is overseen by Rear Adm. Jamie Sands and his Naval Service Training Command staff at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. NROTC was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, loyalty and core values in order to commission college graduates as Navy and Marine Corps officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the uniformed services and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.

NSTC oversees 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's Citizenship Development program. NSTC also includes Recruit Training Command (RTC), the Navy's only boot camp also at Naval Station Great Lakes, the Navy ROTC program at more than 160 colleges and universities, Officer Training Command (OTC) Newport, Rhode Island, and Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more information about NROTC, visit www.nrotc.navy.mil

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For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/nstc/index.aspx

• Date Taken: 11.18.2019
• Date Posted: 11.21.2019 15:50
• Story ID: 352853
• Location: NOTRE DAME, IN, US