WEBVTT 00:00.090 --> 00:02.312 As I mentioned , I'm excited to be here 00:02.312 --> 00:04.090 in person with you today at the 00:04.090 --> 00:06.201 national dredging meeting , and we've 00:06.201 --> 00:08.090 had back to back years of virtual 00:08.090 --> 00:10.423 meetings for various reasons , not good . 00:10.423 --> 00:12.479 We understand the value of in-person 00:12.479 --> 00:14.646 meetings and we are looking forward to 00:14.646 --> 00:16.757 the next few days . Dredging is quite 00:16.757 --> 00:18.868 literally the bedrock of our nation's 00:18.868 --> 00:21.090 maritime strength . Once a year we seek 00:21.090 --> 00:23.201 to get together to have the chance to 00:23.201 --> 00:25.090 step back from the daily grind to 00:25.090 --> 00:27.146 reflect on our collective impact and 00:27.146 --> 00:29.034 how we can do things better . And 00:29.034 --> 00:31.090 that's why I thank you all for being 00:31.090 --> 00:33.201 here . We all know the reality of the 00:33.201 --> 00:35.090 work we do . It is complex . It's 00:35.090 --> 00:37.201 demanding , and it is often invisible 00:37.201 --> 00:39.201 to the public . Yet every container 00:39.201 --> 00:41.368 ship entering a port , every gallon of 00:41.368 --> 00:43.368 fuel powering our homes , and every 00:43.368 --> 00:45.569 acre of coastline protected from the 00:45.569 --> 00:48.090 rising tide relies on the precision , 00:48.169 --> 00:50.169 the innovation , and the sheer grit 00:50.169 --> 00:52.280 that each of you bring to the table , 00:52.409 --> 00:54.970 core industry or other partners . We 00:54.970 --> 00:57.650 are navigating a period of significant 00:57.650 --> 01:00.810 change . I like that . From the rapid 01:00.810 --> 01:02.977 integration of new technologies in our 01:02.977 --> 01:05.199 fleet to the evolution and evolutionary 01:05.199 --> 01:07.209 regulatory landscape to the major 01:07.209 --> 01:09.431 initiatives within the army to increase 01:09.431 --> 01:11.730 dredge capacity , we have far more 01:11.730 --> 01:14.309 dredge work to do than we have capacity . 01:14.680 --> 01:16.624 The challenges are as great as the 01:16.624 --> 01:18.736 opportunities . We are no longer just 01:18.736 --> 01:21.089 moving material , we are the primary 01:21.089 --> 01:24.089 architects of maritime resilience . 01:24.750 --> 01:28.190 The primary architects of maritime 01:28.190 --> 01:30.760 resilience . I said that for the camera . 01:31.110 --> 01:33.277 I hope you captured that . That's kind 01:33.277 --> 01:35.388 of a key takeaway , and we all should 01:35.388 --> 01:37.499 believe that , and I personally think 01:37.499 --> 01:39.721 it's true . So today is more about just 01:39.721 --> 01:41.666 giving status updates . It's about 01:41.666 --> 01:43.888 fostering the partnerships that you all 01:43.888 --> 01:45.721 talk about that in the past have 01:45.721 --> 01:47.832 allowed us to tackle the scale of the 01:47.832 --> 01:49.777 work ahead . As we look toward the 01:49.777 --> 01:51.610 horizon balancing the demands of 01:51.610 --> 01:54.129 national security . Economic prosperity 01:54.669 --> 01:56.780 and environmental stewardship , those 01:56.780 --> 01:58.836 are three keys . Write those down as 01:58.836 --> 02:00.989 well . Our industry remains the 02:00.989 --> 02:03.669 essential link in the chain . Over the 02:03.669 --> 02:05.613 next few days , I encourage you to 02:05.613 --> 02:07.947 share those hard-earned lessons learned , 02:08.029 --> 02:10.669 challenge the conventional ways we 02:10.669 --> 02:12.891 approach to seek our projects and build 02:12.891 --> 02:14.979 the connections that will drive this 02:14.979 --> 02:17.550 industry forward . Let's use this time 02:17.550 --> 02:19.606 today and tomorrow and over the next 02:19.606 --> 02:21.717 few months to ensure that the work we 02:21.717 --> 02:24.770 do today and in the near future secures 02:24.770 --> 02:26.949 the maritime future of our nation 02:27.270 --> 02:29.990 because the nation requires that of us 02:29.990 --> 02:33.169 over the next few decades . Erica , are 02:33.169 --> 02:37.000 you OK with that ? Anybody disagree 02:37.419 --> 02:40.360 with that opening statement ? All right , 02:40.520 --> 02:42.464 so important stuff for all of us . 02:42.464 --> 02:44.720 Here's my ask . And I would challenge 02:44.720 --> 02:46.720 you because I think General Kelly's 02:46.720 --> 02:48.831 here . I'm here , um , Erica's here , 02:48.919 --> 02:51.141 Tiffany's here , the whole core team is 02:51.141 --> 02:54.039 here to demonstrate one key thing we're 02:54.039 --> 02:56.589 committed to this program . It's not 02:56.589 --> 02:58.533 just because the sun is shining in 02:58.533 --> 03:00.756 Norfolk or because I want to get out of 03:00.756 --> 03:03.169 Washington DC that I'm here . Although 03:03.169 --> 03:05.502 I love Norfolk , got the commander here . 03:06.169 --> 03:08.280 Everybody knows you . Stand up . Tell 03:08.280 --> 03:10.002 us who you are . Right there . 03:12.699 --> 03:14.921 Thanks for hosting us , Sonny . Greatly 03:14.921 --> 03:17.088 appreciate it , and I know we've got a 03:17.088 --> 03:19.143 lot of key folks in the room , and I 03:19.143 --> 03:18.970 hope we get a chance to meet all of you . 03:19.500 --> 03:21.167 But we're here because of the 03:21.167 --> 03:23.444 commitment that we've got from the ASA , 03:23.444 --> 03:25.667 from the administration on down . So if 03:25.667 --> 03:27.778 you want to know what drives me every 03:27.778 --> 03:29.944 single day , what drives the core team 03:29.944 --> 03:29.660 in the operations and regulatory space , 03:29.699 --> 03:33.080 and therefore drives the dredge program , 03:33.460 --> 03:35.404 it's alignment with administration 03:35.404 --> 03:37.516 priorities that have been set for the 03:37.516 --> 03:41.139 nation . It's alignment with Assistant 03:41.139 --> 03:44.190 Secretary of the Army for Civil Works 03:44.309 --> 03:48.300 priorities , Mr . Adam Tell . And how 03:48.300 --> 03:50.330 his priorities align with the 03:50.330 --> 03:52.839 administration and they flow right down 03:53.220 --> 03:56.070 to the Corps of Engineers . I've got 03:56.070 --> 03:58.389 all 22 or 23 of them that he's laid out 03:58.389 --> 04:01.089 since February right here in my notepad . 04:01.580 --> 04:03.580 Anybody that's not clear on those , 04:03.580 --> 04:05.802 come up and see me . I'll show you what 04:05.802 --> 04:08.024 those are . And 6 out of those 22 or 23 04:08.024 --> 04:11.389 or 24 are within the operations and 04:11.389 --> 04:13.949 regulatory portfolio , which means I 04:13.949 --> 04:15.770 have specific and personal 04:15.770 --> 04:17.992 responsibility to help the team deliver 04:17.992 --> 04:19.992 the mission . And unfortunately for 04:19.992 --> 04:22.739 Erica and Tiffany , 1 to 1.5 with two 04:22.739 --> 04:24.406 of those priorities . I meant 04:24.406 --> 04:26.628 fortunately . If I said unfortunately , 04:26.628 --> 04:28.961 I might have been using your words . No , 04:28.961 --> 04:31.183 we love this . We've got 2 priorities , 04:31.579 --> 04:33.690 1.5 priorities . They're right in the 04:33.690 --> 04:37.600 dredge space . So if this is a priority 04:37.600 --> 04:41.309 mission . To leverage you all in the 04:41.309 --> 04:45.279 Corps's efforts . For the 2 to $4 04:45.279 --> 04:48.559 billion worth of dredge work that needs 04:48.559 --> 04:50.503 to be done a year in this nation . 04:50.989 --> 04:52.989 We've got our work cut out for us . 04:54.739 --> 04:57.899 You've asked that the cop listen and 04:57.899 --> 05:01.640 make changes . We are making changes , 05:01.809 --> 05:03.976 more than I've seen in 40 some years . 05:03.976 --> 05:06.142 I started out in the Pacific Northwest 05:06.142 --> 05:08.365 in the 80s . Ok , there's a few who may 05:08.365 --> 05:10.587 have a couple of years on me . But I've 05:10.587 --> 05:12.642 been studying this and watching it , 05:12.642 --> 05:14.587 and I've never seen a period where 05:14.587 --> 05:17.100 there's more interest or willingness or 05:17.100 --> 05:20.260 commitment to make changes that are 05:20.260 --> 05:22.427 going to enable or deliver things that 05:22.427 --> 05:25.290 are important to the nation . So my 05:25.290 --> 05:27.401 driver is trying to figure out what's 05:27.401 --> 05:29.130 important to the nation . The 05:29.130 --> 05:31.429 administration has shared some 05:31.429 --> 05:34.119 information on that . The ASA has 05:34.119 --> 05:36.720 shared some information on that . Our 05:36.720 --> 05:38.942 chief Lieutenant General Butch Graham . 05:39.359 --> 05:42.200 And our DCG for civil emergency 05:42.200 --> 05:44.311 operations , General Kelly , who will 05:44.311 --> 05:46.033 be here today , they've shared 05:46.033 --> 05:49.040 information on that . And similar to 05:49.040 --> 05:51.262 the fact that I've never seen this much 05:51.262 --> 05:53.484 of interest in change . I've never seen 05:53.484 --> 05:55.739 such alignment in focus and commitment 05:55.839 --> 05:57.959 and desire to make that change at all 05:57.959 --> 06:01.350 those levels . That's our lucky day . 06:02.420 --> 06:04.587 If we know what those priorities are , 06:04.660 --> 06:06.771 if we can align on those priorities , 06:06.940 --> 06:09.420 so my ask is always simple . On the 06:09.420 --> 06:11.420 left side of the page , I tell this 06:11.420 --> 06:13.587 story periodic on the left side of the 06:13.587 --> 06:15.531 page , I write down all the things 06:15.531 --> 06:17.739 we're doing wrong , all the places 06:17.739 --> 06:20.730 where . We're being recorded , so I'm 06:20.730 --> 06:22.841 not going to say , you know , folks , 06:22.841 --> 06:24.897 folks say some negative things about 06:24.897 --> 06:27.119 the core . I , I got all of that . Some 06:27.119 --> 06:29.452 of that's true , but all of those lines , 06:29.452 --> 06:31.397 all of those things . I'm going to 06:31.397 --> 06:33.619 write on the left side of the notepad . 06:33.709 --> 06:35.765 But on the right side of the notepad 06:35.765 --> 06:37.598 are all of those things that are 06:37.598 --> 06:39.880 actionable , things that we can do . 06:41.540 --> 06:43.596 We may not be 100% aligned on all of 06:43.596 --> 06:45.818 them , but if you've got an action that 06:45.818 --> 06:47.651 we can do that's going to enable 06:47.651 --> 06:50.910 meeting those priorities . We in the 06:50.910 --> 06:54.100 corps at all levels get extra credit 06:54.440 --> 06:57.959 for achieving those items . So think 06:57.959 --> 07:00.279 today and think as you engage with us . 07:00.559 --> 07:03.529 What's the action ? Don't assume that 07:03.529 --> 07:06.260 Steve Hill doesn't care . Don't assume 07:06.260 --> 07:08.480 that Steve Hill or Erica don't have a 07:08.480 --> 07:10.480 clue about what needs to be done or 07:10.480 --> 07:12.647 what the problem is . We probably know 07:12.647 --> 07:14.702 what the problem is , and we'll talk 07:14.702 --> 07:17.079 about it all day long if you want . But 07:17.079 --> 07:20.160 we'd rather talk about . How do we 07:20.160 --> 07:23.100 change the procurement strategy . For 07:23.100 --> 07:25.179 an example , one example , and I'm 07:25.179 --> 07:27.609 going to end on this . You all have 07:27.609 --> 07:29.720 said for years I've listened to it on 07:29.720 --> 07:31.942 the industry side . I've listened to it 07:31.942 --> 07:33.998 in the core . I've listened to it on 07:33.998 --> 07:36.220 both sides . Cora , if you could change 07:36.220 --> 07:38.498 some of your procurement methodologies . 07:38.498 --> 07:40.387 We could increase the capacity of 07:40.387 --> 07:43.579 delivery that we provide you . We're 07:43.579 --> 07:45.910 going to apply some of that . To the 07:45.910 --> 07:48.077 dredge industry , to the missions that 07:48.077 --> 07:50.279 we have , because we have more than $2 07:50.279 --> 07:52.501 to $4 billion worth of dredge work that 07:52.501 --> 07:54.612 needs to be done every year . If this 07:54.612 --> 07:56.612 nation is going to benefit from the 07:56.612 --> 07:58.112 economic development , the 07:58.112 --> 07:59.910 environmental balance , and the 07:59.910 --> 08:01.910 national security that we're being 08:01.910 --> 08:05.059 challenged . So we have more work that 08:05.059 --> 08:07.170 we need to do . You may not be seeing 08:07.170 --> 08:09.226 it because there's too much friction 08:09.429 --> 08:11.589 that's holding us back . What we want 08:11.589 --> 08:13.730 to work together on is knocking down 08:13.730 --> 08:16.890 the friction . So that we can deliver 08:17.450 --> 08:20.250 6 to $8 billion worth of dredge work . 08:21.299 --> 08:24.140 There's more work to be done to impact 08:24.140 --> 08:26.859 that economic development . So how do 08:26.859 --> 08:29.081 we do that ? One of the ways we do that 08:29.339 --> 08:31.506 is by changing some of the procurement 08:31.506 --> 08:33.728 approaches , and we're being given some 08:33.728 --> 08:35.783 authorities that are going to change 08:35.783 --> 08:37.950 that . So don't be that guy , that gal 08:37.950 --> 08:40.172 that raises your hand and says , no , I 08:40.172 --> 08:42.339 don't think that's a good idea . Think 08:42.339 --> 08:44.561 about it for a couple of minutes . Take 08:44.561 --> 08:46.672 the expertise in your space and say , 08:46.672 --> 08:48.783 huh , I have a few thoughts on how we 08:48.783 --> 08:51.309 could make that work . I have a few 08:51.309 --> 08:53.669 thoughts on how we could deliver . I 08:53.669 --> 08:55.869 have a few thoughts on why this might 08:55.869 --> 08:58.869 be a good approach . Because we're 08:58.869 --> 09:00.925 going to do a few new things here in 09:00.925 --> 09:02.820 the future . And we can do them 09:02.820 --> 09:05.900 together or we can do them separate . I 09:05.900 --> 09:07.900 know in my gut , and that's why I'm 09:07.900 --> 09:10.178 here , we're going to do them together . 09:10.549 --> 09:12.679 And that's the way I grew up doing 09:12.679 --> 09:15.080 everything together because doing it by 09:15.080 --> 09:17.270 yourself really isn't any fun . 09:19.309 --> 09:21.365 And I'm here to have a little bit of 09:21.365 --> 09:23.587 fun working with you all , working with 09:23.587 --> 09:26.849 our team , because we're the 1% , we're 09:26.849 --> 09:29.599 the ones that the architects delivering 09:29.599 --> 09:30.200 for the nation .