Joe Thomas, Director of the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the Naval Academy, opens the event by discussing the Center’s history, mission, and activities. He highlights its role as an internal think tank and its “up and out” mission, which includes producing curriculum for ethics and leadership development for various organizations. He introduces the 89th Commandant of Midshipmen, Colonel J.P. McDonough, who emphasizes the importance of moral character and tradition at the Naval Academy. General James Mattis then speaks on the significance of trust, character, and leadership in military service.
