Deputy Secretary of Defense Visits USS Theodore Roosevelt

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Brian G. Reynolds, USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs

NEWPORT NEWS, Va (NNS) -- Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Ashton Carter visited the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) as a part of a scheduled tour of the ship Jan. 17.

TR Sailors took the opportunity to welcome Carter as the carrier finishes its final year of Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.

Capt. William Hart, the commanding officer aboard TR, and Capt. Mark Colombo, the executive officer aboard TR greeted Carter on the pier.

During the visit, Carter took the opportunity to address the Sailors and employees of Newport News Shipbuilding aboard TR in the ship's hangar bay.

"The first thing that I would like to say to you on my behalf and on behalf of Secretary [Leon] Panetta is each of you go home tonight to your loved ones and say that you were thanked for your service to our country's defense," said Carter. "You are not thanked enough, and we appreciate all that you do."

Carter also said that the U.S. is now in the midst of a transitional period in terms of foreign policy and its use of the military across the globe.

"We are embarking in our nation's defense on a great transition," said Carter. "[It is] a great transition from the era of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the first post-9/11 decade to the world to come and to the security challenges that are going to determine our future. For two large counterinsurgency campaigns, you can see that era coming successfully to an end."

After the speech, Carter presented several select Sailors and shipyard workers with his personal challenge coin and posed for photos. Later, Carter embarked on a 45-minute tour of TR that included the ship's Combat Direction Center and the flight deck.