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margaret thatcher. she stepped down in 1990. from "the financial times," this morning, "thatcher, the great ."ansformer there will be a ceremonial honor where thected services are taking place. looking ahead at 2014 and the more vulnerable members of the at the momentte, his though most -- he is the loudest candidate speaking on gun control. last call for open phones this morning. delaware, the florida. host: sorry, go ahead. caller: the gun control issue, throughout history whenever they -- hadd a gun control gun-control, the government dominated the people. it happened time and time again. for the lady from maryland, i am black and i use the constitution just like anyone else who uses the constitution. the statement she made makes no sense at all. gun control is a non issue. we have a problem in society. guns have always been a part of the american diaspora. i do not see what the problem of now that we have all these killings it is a shift in the culture. appreciate heat -- appreciate human life anymore. host: thank you for your calls and comments. for 150 years annapolis, md., has been the training ground for the officers that served in the navy and marine corps. we will introduce you to some of the key players at the naval academy and discuss the role of the navy in america's 21st century warfare. joining us from the center is the individual who oversees the academy, vice admiral michael miller, the superintendent. thank you for allowing us into the academy. guest: thank you so much. it is a pleasure to have you invited here. i wish you could see it, it is beautiful on the banks of the river. host: it is a picture-perfect day here in washington, d.c. as well, spring finally arrived. founded in 1845, you have seen a lot of changes in the last 50 years. what is your mission? guest: producing ethical career of serve a naval service. we mold them into the future leaders. not just the navy and marine corps, but serving the nation. host: we have a look at the budget for the naval academy. $139 billion. numbers,ok at these breakdown where the money goes. how are you funded? guest: we are funded from appropriated dollars from the congress. it is much more than a school, it is also a base. the operating budget of $139 million helps to take care of -- 70% of that is salaries and taking care of the midshipmen. there is a lot of infrastructure here that supports them, from academic buildings to a water tower. we actually have a water treatment plant. not a typical campus in that regard, it is actually a small city with 4400 students, including some from allied nations. host: we have one phone line set aside for those of you who are active or retired in the navy. 585-3883. area code, you can comment on facebook or send us an e-mail or tweet as well. talking about the campus, it was founded about 15 years before the start of the civil war. that the largest haul on the naval academy campus? guest: bancroft hall is where all 4400 midshipmen live. if not the largest, one of largest dormitories in any college anywhere on the planet. you could cover the entire dorm without ever going outside. it was originally an army base, fort severn. when it was transferred to the navy it was only one-third of its current size. ,e have grown over the years starting in the 20's and 30's, going right up to the 1950's, we built up what is now about 368 acres housing the academy campus. original academy was 15 midshipmen and seven professors. as you indicated, the size has grown over the last century and a half. give us a sense of where you are physically right now and what is around you. host: -- guest: this is the robert crown sailing center. as you would guess, the naval academy would be good with swimming and sailing. one of the fundamental precepts for midshipman is to give them time under canvas. what you see in the background here is our 44 foot sailboats. we have a wide variety and are the national champions. these are big boats that can go to sea for a long time. sailing as far as bermuda and all the way up the block islands. the important part of the program is that it teaches confidence and teaches our future sailors a lot about things that you can only learn by cutting or hands on them. right behind us you see the field house, named for our first african american graduate, commander was lead brown. it is a state of the art indoor track facility. host: before we get the comments, give us a sense of your background and career in the navy and how you became superintendent of the naval academy. jet pilotm a carrier by trade, i spent the early portion of my career flying carry -- flying off of carriers around the world. it is a tremendous sense of exhilaration. in that part of my service i still miss, because now i fly a desk, but sometimes you are given an opportunity to command larger ships as an aviator and i was given command of the u.s. john f. kennedy and ultimately i served in the white house and on capitol hill as the chief of legislative affairs for the navy. ultimately i was privileged to come back here and the 51st. long -- host: how long have you served? guest: 2 1/2 years and i hope to serve for another year-and-a- half as superintendent, which is the same thing as president or chancellor. host: what is the difference between a naval academy education and those who go to civilian college? guest: in one word it is accountability. we have a disciplined environment, much more so than your typical college campus. ist we intend to teach your the accountability for themselves and their fellow midshipmen. toy are given opportunities lead at every stage. you might be the person in class taking roll call. you have to go to class. it is a challenging and predominantly technical course load. yet we see from our midshipmen that they come in and are really hard chargers. this experience we give them the tools so that when they graduate they can stand up in their first division, perhaps a on a ship, speaking from a position of immerse of education, having given them a in not only their field of study, the leadership. host: this morning "washington journal," taking you to the naval academy in annapolis, maryland. later in the program we will have a graduate of the academy, class of 1958, senator john mccain. donnell is joining us from pittsburgh, unable veteran. good morning. caller: good morning, sir, good morning to you, admiral miller. guest: good morning. caller, a heartfelt bravo zoo from an old salts in -- caller: a halt -- a heartfelt bravo zoo from an old salt. we served in the gulf of tonkin. i wanted to add that serving under the academy graduates that i did, it was one of the things i will never forget the rest of my life. it is a pleasure to see you and the c-span broadcasts from the naval academy. my wife and i are looking forward to coming down to visit sometime early in september. this is a treat for me. zoonted to wish you a bravo and anchors aweigh. guest: look me up when you come down to the academy. it is truly a national treasure. it is not that well known. most people are familiar with the army navy game, but the most important aspect of the academy is this product of young ensigns and second lieutenants who will serve our nation selflessly, some for a minimum of five years but many for a much longer career. look forward to seeing you here, hope you have a safe trip from pittsburgh. host: looking at one of those yp boats, plan the training that goes on on these vessels. guest: we have a fleet of yard patrol craft. as one would expect, you would want to train your young ensign's on how to drive a ship before they get to see. we put our students out there on these boats, some of which are much older than the students themselves, giving them the take anity to just broader orders, orders to the helm, things that to many years of experience and practice we have come to realize that you just ingrained in them. for 20 yearsjets and when i came back to commend my own ship, those orders have not changed. what they are prefacing right here is an approach to appear. bringing ships into port is one of the most vulnerable times for a ship. the win can get slow, and the midshipmen get a chance to bring the ship safely along side. it is a true art as much as it is a science. they will gain the experience to keep them ready when they get to the fleet. naval academy education still relevant in today's new type of warfare, especially when it comes to terrorism? guest: i think so. i will tell you why. midshipmen, our students are not granted all the liberties that she would get even in a fleet, and certainly not on a normal college campus where you kind of come and go. we are -- we have mandatory study hours, mandatory physical fitness. most relevant, in a campus environment like this we can adjust our curriculum so that as things change we can modify to keep up with the current challenges. much more so than many universities, because we have a contrary of both active duty and civilian professors that will generate new curriculum. for example, cyber. we have started a cyber curriculum because we believe that is the threat. that and wereted able to complete an 80% solution, if you will, in about so that they have the rudimentary understanding of cyber operations and cyber security, fundamental to their ability to fight and win in future conflicts for the nation. that is something that is taught here, quite frankly at the undergraduate level it is required for a graduate of the naval academy, which is not true any place else. >> i want to remind our radio audience listening coast-to- coast, we are talking with vice admiral michael miller, superintendent of the u.s. naval academy. deanna is joining us from oregon on the republican line. good morning. welcome to the program. caller: thank you for taking my call. i appreciate it. force,tired from the air 20 years as master sgt. i finished my master's degree recently. i have two important questions i want to start with. the media thein majority of media has been clearly devoted to the navy and our other branches are nonexistent. that would be first. my second is that while we are discussing this, i find it interesting compared to the earlier segment regarding what is wrong with the economy and gun control. what i am asking you is what is going on -- why have we all of a sudden change our policy? our international policy specifically running the navy? will be focusing on that specific issue later with ray mavis. admiral miller, did you want to respond? guest: it is true as the president announced this specific if it, it is true that a lot of the world is covered by water. i think that in the pacific theater of operations there is a great emphasis on the navy. i would tell you that from my perspective, it may be just the periodicals i am reading, but i feel a lot of discussion about what we call the air sea battle, an integrated response between coordination, integrated with the air force and the army. we are still very focused on what is going on in afghanistan. the naval academy produces not as naval officers, but marine corps officers and we have a lot of brave marine serving in the mountains of afghanistan. announcement of a pivot to the pacific does not ignore these other areas. i think it means that all the services must play an important part in the security of america. host: you mentioned periodicals, one of them as the chronicle of higher education with a piece looking at the military academies and the ongoing debate in light of budget cuts. this is what it looks like in the chronicle review. "the military is downsizing under scrutiny, do the academy's deserve to continue? do they produce the leaders that they claim to? the $4,000 per graduate the costs taxpayers? that?uld you respond to guest: i certainly respect the professors opinion, he is a graduate from here. if you look at what is in the fleet, we have spent a lot of time talking to the commanding officers, what we get -- the feedback that we get is that we are providing these very durable persistent, resilience winners that we must have in our armed forces. frequently that is how the naval academy is structured. not everyone comes in at the same level. they are not all perfect. i certainly was not when i came to the naval academy. but the school teaches us that it is not always about being a winner. it is about learning how to persist and build strength of character, the strength of physical strength, and the strength of your brain. the academic challenges that are given to us produce people that have learned how to take a fall and get back up. because ultimately here in this learning environment even have a few failures and learn from them, but when you get into the fleet there is no room for second place. we must be confident that our navy and marine corps leaders are going to succeed in whenever challenge we give them. host: amongst notable graduates of the academy, one former president, jimmy carter, as well , a graduate from 1963, and several jaunt in -- and senator john mccain, 2008 presidential nominee, senator. and former -- and senator jim webb, class of 1968. good morning, we're taking a lot at live scenes from around annapolis. -- a look at live scenes from around annapolis. caller: good morning. from 1961 to 1962 i was a sailor. felt that these young fellows that came aboard ship were pretty good kids. i was just wondering if that tradition carries on. do they still take midshipmen cruises in the summertime? felt that these young guest: we do, indeed. that is a critical aspect. we look at the education, which is largely book learning in classes and laboratories, but what we do in the summer is training, giving the hands on of the operational equipment that they sunday will be able to fly, drive, or operate. haswhile sequestration caused us to modify some of this to make sure we are saving as much money as we can, we are still able to push them out to get meaningful experiences on ships around the world. probablyember back, during the time that you were in, my first deployment as a midshipman, we went to pearl harbor, hawaii, then down to new zealand and sydney, australia, all in two and a half months. probably one of the best appointments i ever had and that was my first experience as a midshipman in the navy. host: for those looking to apply, or for those who have been accepted, what is the process? guest: the application process is well described on our internet site. anyone who goes there can see the fundamentals. but basically what we are looking for are people who want a challenge, people who have shown both academic and physical endurance. we are certainly looking for an " we typically receive are people who are active not just in sports, but community involvement. drama, the bay, music. the academy represents a broad spectrum of the american experience. in that process we typically take -- i think that this year we will be somewhere around 17,600 or so applicants, narrowed down to just under 1200 or so. for theirreport indoctrination, i believe it is on the 27 to june. for six weeks we have got to put them through what you would call like a boot camp, where we give them a lot of physical challenges and stress, helping to get them up on the steps where they are ready to take on the academic, physical, and mental challenges that will come to them as the academic year starts. it is a very demanding environment, but i will tell you that those standards are high and have been high for many years. what we see as we bring in each new generation of naval leaders, they get over the bar and find it within themselves. when i came from north dakota, i had never ridden 5 miles in my life. i remember at the end of my fleet summer, we called the indoctrination, i was talking to my friends -- when will we get to 3 miles? he turned to me and said that we had crossed 5 miles a few minutes ago. doing things that we never thought possible. certainly i did not. host: from one of our viewers -- how do the classes break down, received a mission, congressional appointments, etc.? guest: the nomination process is spelled out in law. all members of congress are granted nominations. we keep a balance so that it does not get too lopsided. that includes the five territories and the district of columbia. the breakdown is somewhere ofund 22%, or 34% in terms diverse. it quite literally embraces the surfer in hawaii and sailor from daytona. international students, it gives an experience on campus that is without peer. you learn asd that much from the peers as you do with your professors, so the student body comes with a wide experience base. as a consequence the graduates take that with them as they serve in the fleet. host: the naval academy, number one in top public school with best postgrad earnings and best public college. justin is joining us from little river, md., a veteran of the afghanistan war. caller: i am calling because i had the pleasure of serving under naval academy graduates. bear some of the best in my experience. fleet week, or whenever it is, i think it is the best. guest: your right, it is pretty unique. caller: you guys are making fine officers and i appreciate would you're doing. the marines,ng, trickle-down to keep archer stuff. -- to keep our troops stuff. host: thank you for the call. the term fleet dates back to roman times? guest: indeed it does. the term from west isint, but labor fleeb someone new to the academy. someone new tois the academy. in the summer you take away their cell phones, which is one of the most traumatic experiences many of the freshmen have ever faced. the purpose is to teach an appreciation for all the we're given as americans. they do not just take off whenever they want to take off. they have to study a certain times, doing a lot of memorization. i can tell you that when i was there, all that memorization did not resonate for me. it was hard for me. the first time i got in the cockpit and someone read me a detailed report about where i was supposed to take my jet when i took off, it was a snap and i realized it was one of the benefits of being able to do all of this memorization, putting me on my feet, causing me to think on my feet. it lasts for their entire freshman year, that they become what we would call youngsters. host: it is not freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, correct? guest: we are, but the freshmen sophomores bleebs, are called youngsters, jr. is a called second class, seniors are called thirsties. it kind of denotes where you are in this journey, including roughly 150 credit hours and at least 67% of it is technically based. host: our next call comes from paul, texas, retired navy. caller, i do not know if you remember, we served together in kuwait. the battle group, so of course we enjoyed it together as well. njrtc unit, wehe had quite a few naval academy that came through. guest: that is a great question. i do recall our time together in kuwait. it was an honor for me to be able to address that military there. it was one of my favorite memories. it used to be when i was there, it was 34%. it is down to about 14% now. i believe that is reflective of the increasing quality of the students that we are inducting. ,s we get better and better should we not expect our retention base would be better. that is what has happened. the students that come in the door are of a higher quality and a broader experience and better academics, better test scores. what we see is, they are better able to meet the challenges of a very demanding curriculum and physical environment. as a consequence, 14%, i think that's probably about right. about a thirdwn we lose for academics, about one third for typically minor conduct issues. another third for medical. host: we have been looking at scenes from the campus. it is a relatively compact campus, when you compare it to west point in the work. -- new york. guest: you can walk from one end of the campus toward the other in 10 minutes. we don't waste any time around here. is beautifullyt situated, both here on the .ampus the academic buildings are clustered together. you can get from one building to the other very easily. the dormitory and all of the fields, the athletic fields, are on the other end of the academy. right outside the gate is one of the most beautiful destinations for vacations right here in the city of annapolis, the state -- state capital of maryland. the president will be delivering the commencement address this spring at the naval academy, he rotates every year between the different service academies. typically, what is the message by this president or any president to be graduating students? guest: it is interesting to see. each president is a little bit different. it is most assuredly a bully pulpit. when they make major announcements about international affairs or national security, what more perfect place to do it then at a service academy commencement. president obama has been very articulate and talking about -- as he talks to the nation's future leaders in the marine corps memorial stadium on graduation day, his points have typically been about the challenges of the future and the significance of the ethical leadership that they must provide if our nation is to prevail. we are very excited to have the president, our commander in chief, coming back to the naval academy. host: the first african- american who graduated from the naval academy and the athletic facility named after him. when were african-americans and women accepted to the naval academy? guest: women were excepted in 1976, and wesley brown, i believe, entered in -- i will probably get it wrong. it is right around 1957, i think, but i would have to double check that. and heeless, i knew him passed away this year. if you want to talk about somebody, i noticed the movie "42" is storing out, -- coming out, the story of jackie robinson. the story of wesley brown is just as inspirational, someone who represented this nation and this navy with great grace and skill. we are honored to have the facility behind this named in his honor. host: how does they go to become the mascot for the naval at?demy? -- go it is not your typical mascot. on the way to one of the ,ootball games some time ago there were a series of mascots over time. .he goat stuck it has been our mascot, and we have two of them. they can be a little bit smelly at times, but they are tough, durable animals and a very representative of the school. michael miller who was a vice admiral in the u.s. navy, he is also the superintendent of the naval academy, joining us live on this tuesday morning. thank you very much for being with us. guest: it is a pleasure, thank you very much. host: appreciate your hospitality. we will have more coming up later in the program, including our conversation with the navy secretary. we will learn more about academics inside the academy and one of its distinguished alumni, senator john mccain, will be here talking about his life in the military and also issues of the day. yesterday, admiral johnson who is the chief naval operations, speaking in an event with a focus on sequestration, talking about how the navy is dealing with the budget cuts. [video clip] we have been rigged for reduced visibility in the navy. this budget situation has been to me like being in a fog. when things are hard, you cannot see ahead. you have to slow down and go at a deliberate pace. it is an evolution. it is difficult to plan ahead. everybody, all hands on deck to big sure you can properly navigate through this difficult time. that is what it is but like. things are clearing a little bit, as you know. we got a bill. for us and our operations, it costs about $4.5 billion. we have a different challenge. we still have sequestration in effect. six dollarst billion in our investment account. our priorities for this year will be to make sure we have a reimbursable fund. those are the must pay bills. will reconcile our management distribution. we are working with commanders of the joint staff to do that right. we need to prepare to meet fiscal year 2014 deployments, get our priorities right, get a maintenance done and the training done so we are ready to meet our requirements. we need to assure critical fleett and our sustainment, restoration and modernization projects. we won't be able to do it all. we like to think it is an important book. there are so few good books out there that explain what is the process and how would they go about this. what are they saying to one another? what are they really thinking? do their personal feelings get into it? the book is not just about capital punishment but about how the court operates. , the notes back and forth between justices that are available, i am not a lawyer and i plead not guilty or nolo contendere, but i was just fascinated by the human side of it read -- and it. on thenews a veteran capital punishment cases that have defined the supreme court, sunday night at 9 p.m. on afterwords, part of the tv on c- span 2. >> our live coverage from the u.s. naval academy in annapolis maryland continues. prospective candidates must first be nominated by a member of congress or the vice president or the president. it can also be a child of a medal of honor recipient and has a number of criteria including a fitness test and medical examination, all part of the application process as we heard earlier. 70,000 applicants, only 12 -- 17,000 applicants, 1200 are accepted each year. joining us live as andrew phillips, thank you for being with us. guest: good morning, thank you for having me on. host: walk us through the academic curriculum. what are the challenges that they face academically? guest: that is a great question. the naval academy is unlike any other college and university in terms of our regimented structure. the freshman class, they all took the same basic classes in their first semester here. it is a healthy dose of calculus and chemistry, english, naval in the spring, it is another calculus class, another chemistry class, another english class, then a political science class in place of the cybersecurity class and another leadership class. in their sophomore year, they get to choose a major. that is when things become more like a normal college or university. they get to choose those majors. again, it is another required calculus class, required physics class, some required engineering classes, history classes and some range of classes from their major. from there, a few options open up for the rest of the sophomore, junior and senior year. they get more courses in their major. always a healthy dose of required course work that everyone has to take. many of those court courses are science courses. credit hours of course work in a 47-month timeframe. host: unlike traditional or civilian school, you don't offer a graduate program, per se, do you? guest: that is right, purely undergraduate. number of highly motivated and exceptional students who by virtue of finishing their academic program and little bit earlier, we don't let anybody graduate early -- if they finish their academics early, they can pursue graduate studies at a local college or university while they are still finishing their senior year. largely, that is an aberration and everyone here is quickly and -- an undergraduate student. host: some midshipmen are just onend you, getting off of of the ships were training takes place. is that typical to see on a tuesday morning? guest: it looks to me like they are in their normal blue uniforms. they are all dressed the same, going from one class to another. they are probably headed to their next class. there is very little free time in a day. that free time is often absorbed by other things, leadership and character building things. i doubt there is a midshipmen you will find who has a lot of spare time on their hands. host: you are a graduate of penn state and you come to this with a civilian background, not a military background. thatare the challenges presents you in your job at a military institution? guest: that is true. as the admiral pointed out earlier, we are a half civilian faculty and have military faculty. i am an example of the civilian side of the naval academy. i don't have a military background, and i am not a naval academy graduate. nearly 300 of our civilian faculty will be like im. some may have military background as well, but in that regard, we are like a civilian background university. some spend their careers in academia -- i always wanted to be a university professor. they are here because they are devoted to higher education, they are also devoted to helping develop leadership that will serve the nation in the navy and the marine corps. this is a challenge in recognizing the importance and excepting the importance of the military side of the naval academy. it is not like the civilian college and university in that there are other expectations of .idshipmen that are regular for those who are not graduates, that is something we need to quickly understand and begin to work into our thinking. host: we are taking a look at life inside the u.s. naval academy as the washington journal travels to annapolis, maryland. we welcome your calls and comments. you can send us a tweet or give us a call. we have one line set aside for those of you who are active or retired in the u.s. navy. host: john, democrat line. caller: hi, i have been visiting washington, d.c., since 1982 since they dedicated a memorial vietnam veterans. i would like to know visiting hours of the academy. me and my wife would like to come visit. keep up the good work and sober for dallas, brother. -- simper fidelis. guest: it is open to the public. this is a significant tourist destination. we are a college, we are a naval academy, and we are also a very popular place for people to come and see the great work that we're doing here. we have guided tours, nearly every day, all day, full-scale visitors. we have an unbelievable museum where you can look in the history of the navy and marine corps here. host: as we look at the midshipmen in uniform, is a required for every class? is there a casual friday? guest: no, there is no casual friday. when the midshipmen get leave opportunities, they put their civilian clothes on and head home or wherever they're going to go on leave. we provide the usual attire for them. they will all be in uniform while they're here. attending students the academy over four years. there are 24 academic majors, over 500 faculty members. the ratio of faculty member to student is between 10-22. new curriculum including cybersecurity. can you talk about that? guest: yes. the cybersecurity program, that is in two parts. every midshipmen no matter what their major will take two core courses. one is offered in the freshman year and the other is offered in their junior year. that will be first offered this coming fall. then, there is a special major we are developing called cyber operations. it will also begin this fall. that will be the 24th academic major that we offer. it will be focused on the in- depth study of cyber operations. we program is not something developed casually. we take our cue from the navy leadership and marine corps leadership. that is a demand signal we respond to. if they suggest there is an area we need to develop a program in and pursue, then we will work very hard to do that. --are very conservative and with the type of things we will add to the program. cybersecurity is one of those things that the demand signal was very clear to us about four years ago. we have been working on developing those courses at that time. host: steve from jackson, mississippi, with andrew phillips who is the academic dean and the provost for the naval academy. caller: my name is steve. i work for senator roger and cumbersome and gregg harper handling the military process. i just would like for you to comment on a program that has helped a lot of nominees. that is the naval economy -- academy preparatory school in rhode island. they nominate somebody and go to the naval academy preparatory school in rhode island or the naval academy foundation program and the next year they go to the academy. we are about to have a military academy day on april 20 where we emphasize the preparatory school program an extra year to get students whole person concept. could you comment on the program and how those students sometimes graduate at a higher rate than those that go right in. guest: that is a great question. elementarynation, and secondary school education are not all created equal. in different parts of the country, there are different levels of opportunity for students. it is not the case that every student can come directly with the same academic preparation as other kids. i just got done saying that very first year is a six -- everybody takes chemistry, everybody takes english. not every high school graduate is going to be equally prepared for that academic row graham. -- program. we have the preparatory school in rhode island and others which are designed to level the playing field so that every kid has an opportunity to make up for whatever it is they did not get a chance to take in high school and get themselves prepared for the naval academy. sometimes that means it is a math program, they need to take a precalculus course at the naval academy prep school or maybe they did not have a high school chemistry class or maybe the class did not have a lab with it. we like to prepare them for the naval academy. you aren't likely right, the success rates are quite high -- you are exactly right. they are dedicated to succeeding at the naval academy. they're going to be motivated to work hard. host: senator john mccain has just tweeted this message that he is headed to take part in a special program on the naval academy. he graduated back in 1958. how have the academics changed in the last century? guest: when senator mccain was here, there was one program for everyone. a phrase that he will use, it is a last step program. the naval economy in the john mccain years was one academic program for every midshipmen. they all went to the same classes in the same order. there were no majors at all. there was essentially no flexibility. in that era, they marched to class. last several decades since the late 1960's, the naval academy has become more like a typical civilian college and university, we now have academic majors. we have a choice of courses that they all take. both technical and non- technical courses. again, there is a certain core foundation, 90 credits that are fixed and required ever everyone. it is a slow evolution over many decades the signed to reflect the change in nature of higher education. host: the cost of the interval academy and the requirements after those who graduate. the tuition is paid for by taxpayers as well as medical good -- care. they receive a four-your education in exchange for active duty of at least five years. if the naval academy puts you through graduate school or if the navy funds that following education -- education -- graduation, there is a opportunity to serve for your country. host: is there an exchange program with the british royal college? guest: i am not sure if we have one specifically with the british royal college. we have a line set aside for those of you who are either active or retired in the u.s. navy. joining us from maryland. go ahead, please. caller: i am a midshipmen mom. my son went to rhode island. he did not have chemistry at his high school. i just wanted to echo the how much comments on more motivated he is and how academically he is doing since he has that foundation -- that opportunity for him was magnificent, i believe, as a mom. host: thanks for the call. the attrition rate for the students who don't meet the academic or the athletic requirements for those who begin, how many actually finished four years later? guest: well, the attrition rate overall is about 14%. the attrition rate for those who have gone through the naval academy preparatory school is about the same vicinity. it is a few percentage points higher than that. the attrition of students is a variable. it can be based on the mix. it can be based on medical or physical or honor and conduct. it is not a foregone conclusion that if a person is not as well academically that they did not make it. my data shows only about three or four percent of attrition is due to academic difficulty. the rest of it is a variety of other sources, medical, physical, honor and conduct. or voluntary resignation, people who come here and decide over a. of months or maybe a year or two that this is not the life they wanted us -- pursue. they say i want to go do something else and that is ok, also. host: for the first two years, you can leave at no cost. if you finish after four years, you then have to pay back tuition, correct? guest: if you enter your junior year -- if you complete two years and start class, you are obligated to serve your country or pay back some of the costs of that education. you are correct about that. the first two years, if you decide you want to leave, there is no cost to your education. there is no payback. host: salem, oregon, good morning. caller: good morning. . have a comment a few years ago, i was thinking , mostly to the nuts and bolts. you have young people that are going to be studying economics. some of these people will be getting into major policy positions in the next 30 or so years. . studied economics i have to say i am 40 years out of college now. one of the turning point was when i today labor economics course in england and the instructor was very marxist. he also taught classic economics, supply and demand. that is what i saw the free- market economic system. even at that, they still did not speak very much about the nuts and bolts of socialism back in the day. host: let me stop you on that and have our guests responded. isst: our academic program designed to have midshipmen think critically and learn how to solve problems. we embrace all different points of view in our academic program, much like other different colleges and universities. the most important thing we do is to ensure that they are strong critical thinkers and problem solvers. without getting into specifics of whether it's socialism and specifically taught, our faculty members go to great lengths and take great pride in trying to get midshipmen to get out of their comfort zone and think critically and argue authoritatively on how to solve problems. that is a key part of any college education and a key part of the naval education. host: chillicothe, ohio, retired navy. caller: good morning, steve. i want to make a comment that one of the officers with whom i served was a captain. most impressive officer i ever served with. he was a west point graduate. it was obvious when he looked at him as compared to some of the other officers. my question is this, some of the service academy have had some scandals. i have not heard of that many from the naval academy. i am just curious, how are they kept private and from public scrutiny? perhaps it is not inappropriate question, but i am curious about that. thank you. , i appreciate your comment about serving with academy grads. i assure you there is no scandal that is private. we are a very public institution am as close to wanting d.c. as we are, where always in the public eye and under scrutiny. perfectot a institution, but you will be comforted to know we make every effort to improve ourselves everyday. this place is all about leadership and character. leadership and character develop -- and development for midshipmen and faculty staff. we make an effort to improve ourselves everyday. we have made mistakes in the past and will make mistakes in the future, but we will do everything we can to set things right, regardless of whatever that happens to be. host: the individual in charge of academics at the u.s. naval academy, andrew phillips, joining us from annapolis. thanks for your time. guest: thank you ray much, i appreciate it. host: we continue our look at the u.s. naval academy. who foundedcretary the naval academy, it was initially only 78 acres. it has grown to 300 acres in maryland. coming up, a conversation with senator john mccain. first, a look at some other stories making news on his tuesday morning. joining us is nancy. good morning. >> an update on the middle east from secretary of state john kerry. he has held a very constructive talk with israeli and palestinian leaders during three days of diplomacy. he says that everyone is committed to continuing the process that could create conditions for peace. direct israeli-palestinian talks can resume. back in washington, the senate meets today, one of many issues on the agenda is immigration. in a report this morning, officials say there are arguments over plans to boost visas for high-tech workers and disputes on how to punish companies that train workers in the united states only to ship them overseas. the senate meets at 10 a.m. eastern time. watch live coverage on c-span 2. turning back to international news, earlier today, north korea urged all foreign companies and tourists in south korea to evacuate, saying the two companies are on the verge of nuclear war. analysts see a direct attack on seoul korea unlikely and there are no overt signs that north korea is readying for war. south korea's military has reported missile movements on the east coast of north korea but nothing pointed toward south korea. we will hear more about this at 10 a.m. from the top military at u.s. pacific command. he will be testifying live at 10 a.m. on c-span radio. those are some of the latest headlines on c-span radio. live from the u.s. naval academy along the chesapeake bay, as we continue our look at life in the military in the navy in the 21st century, class of 1958, senator, senator john mccain. thanks for being with us. guest: thanks for having me on. always nice to take a trip down memory lane. it is a wonderful institution. my grandfather and my father and my son all our graduates of the naval academy, and none of them did nearly as bad as i did. host: you have made the reference, and we will talk more about it. you were at the bottom of the list, correct? guest: yes, in all aspects, whether it be conduct or academics. i was one of those who thought that i could beat the system and no one has ever really beat the system at the naval academy. i enjoyed my time there more than i can tell you. the friends i made here are my friends today, all years later. my dearest friends, those that i lived with and worked with and played with at the naval academy. host: summit news of the morning, you have been talking a lot about north korea. cnn is reporting that the government has issued its latest dispatch, and rhetoric telling foreigners in south korea they should take steps to secure shelter or evacuation to protect themselves in the event of a conflict along the korean peninsula. how serious is this? guest: i think it is very, very, very serious. has in history an accident caused a conflict, i would refer -- how the world stumbled into the bloodiest conflict in modern times, world war i. i don't think that the north koreans are going to do anything that would promote -- provoking that, but when you have artillery that can reach seoul, korea, and where millions of people live where you have got nuclear weapons and missiles that could at least deliver -- has the possibility of being able to deliver those nuclear weapons, it is very, very serious. a major solution to this is obviously to have china -- you have a country that have -- we have influence over north korea to step up and rain in this aberration of a behavior. finally, we always give these crazy people the credit for thinking like us. they don't think like us. obviously. they don't think like us. so to somehow say, well, it will be crazy for them to start a conflict because they will be wiped out, of course they would lose. but what damage could they inflict before they lost? that is what is serious. host: has the administration's responsibility to print or not? guest: i think so. i am not sure we'll be can do. i think that is pretty clear in the macro sense that the north koreans have been encouraged by our lack of authority to dissuade the irradiance from the path they are on -- iranians from the path they are on. we have been through with both confrontation, negotiations, inducements, food , oil, money, lifting restrictions on them, and then we go through that cycle over and over again. we have been through that many, many times. some say that the north koreans will not give up nuclear weapons. otherwise, they become irrelevant. this idea that somehow by giving them food or oil or other inducements, that they will be ore agreeable to eliminating stopping their weapons of mass instruction is foolish. it is been foolish all along. host: when you saw dennis rodman in north korea, what was your reaction? guest: i thought it was just ludicrous. what is more disturbing is people like bill richardson, highly respected, they keep going back and visiting them and coming back and saying we are in a good place with them. these diplomats that continue to believe for the last 30 years that somehow we can sit down across the table and make them see reason. i don't blame dennis rodman, but i certainly do blame these people for not learning the lessons of what has happened over and over and over again with north korea. it is the damnedest, foolishness, on the part of our dogmatic administration -- diplomatic administration. it was the bush administration that lifted the sanctions on north korea, on the prospect that we would achieve progress with north korea. it is not just a democrat problem, it is democrat and republican. host: senator chuck hagel, who is back for the first time as defense secretary, announcing plans to change the court- martial system. what is happening on this issue? guest: a very terrible thing happened, and that was a general overruled a court-martial on a tragic case, mistreatment of women. unacceptable and understandably, members of the committee, including some of our women members on the committee were understandably, deeply disturbed. senator mccaskill and others. i just want to be careful that we do preserve the authority of the commander because the commander has helped responsible -- is held responsible. we don't want to take too much of the authority away. in this case, chuck hagel made the right decision. host: our phone lines are open for senator john mccain. richard is retired navy, joining us from alabama. good morning. i know senator mccain, -- you are well aware of it, the races we have been getting are not really enough to help us that much. i was wondering when the military is going to start a raise. guest: richard, with respect, we give pay raises to the active- duty military every year. we don't give them many times to anyone else who are public servants who also serve. i think that the -- i say in all candor or, the military is well- paid. they are well appreciated. god knows they are the best we've ever had in my view, serving serving in the military. we are continue to be given pay raises, i am confident. i can also tell you that the healthcare costs are skyrocketing and they're going to -- in the words of secretary gates -- eat us alive. that was his words as the healthcare costs have genetically increased and taken a larger and larger bite out of our defense budget. so i don't think there is a time that i can remember that our military is more appreciated than it is today, and i am very grateful for the incredible support that we give to the men and women who are serving and people like you, who have served. thank you for serving. host: robin is joining us, independent line. good morning. caller: good morning. . am a disabled vietnam veteran i was also in the navy. even though i am not one of your party affiliates, i have the utmost amount of respect for you. the thing that really made me cry was when he lost the election in 2008, the way that you did it with class. you have a lot of dignity, mr. mccain. thank you for your service. guest: thank you for those kind words. i have a line that i use all the time. after i lost, i slept like a baby. sleep two hours, wake up and cry, sleep two hours, wake up and cry. thank you for your kind words. host: is it the fact you are from arizona? itst: you know, arizona, has had a number of candidates for president. it is the only state in america where mothers and don't tell their children that someday they can up and be president of the united states. , utica.state new york republican line. good morning. caller: this is a question about the basis of our national security strategy for the past decade. the national institute of standards and technology, the class of the world trade center , engineers will tell you that this cannot be done and the only way this can be done is with explosives. host: your question is what? guest: caller: how do you explain this freefall without the use of explosives? guest: this is an area that i am not familiar. if you would drop me a note and mention that we talked on c- span, i will be glad to get you a more complete answer. honestly, every once in a while, i have to plead ignorance about an issue. this is one i have not been involved in. i will be more than happy to look into it. thanks for calling. host: your book, you mention your father and grandfather. how do they influence you to go to the naval academy? guest: in a good way and a bad way. in a good way, it made me want to go. it put a lot of pressure on me, and i felt that i had kind of been pressured to go there, which gave me an excuse, which i did not need, but gave me an excuse to miss behave. we did not put any pressure on my son, jack. he went because he wanted to. a standard that i tried to live up to, both before and was in captivity and afterwards and during captivity. so i think both my father and my grandfather have always been inspirations to me, including i had uncles and great uncles who went to west point as well. so i have been proud to have a long history of military service with my family going all the way back to the revolutionary war. host: you mentioned that your captivity. this photograph as you are receiving the medal of honor from president richard nixon. it was 40 years ago this year that he returned from captivity. as you look back, what are your thoughts? guest: my thoughts are that i am the most fortunate person that you will ever interview. i have had the most wonderful life. i have been through so many near-death experiences, it would take a long program for me to tell you all of them. i have been so fortunate. occasionally, i hear from -- people say that i am angry. i am not angry. i enjoy the fight. one of the things i have learned over the years, i try to treat all of my opponents, those who disagree with me, with respect. , very fortunate. could i just mention again about the naval academy, i think the men and women we have now at the academy are superior from my generation and that of my predecessors. as you know, we have appointments to the service academies. i have a board of military people who select them. these young women who are serving and entering the naval academy and west point and the air force academy, coast guard, they are of the highest quality. it gives me great faith in the future when i see this kind of quality, especially at my old alma mater, who i hold with a deep and abiding affection. .ost: let me follow up on that as you interview these prospective candidates, what questions do you ask and what are you looking for personally? guest: primarily the questions they ask are about motivation. about why they want to go to the school of four years with a rigorous discipline, both academic and otherwise. whethero ascertain this is a person who really is committed to service to the country. host: academically, we were talking to the dean who said it is different than when you graduated in terms of what they offer. guest: absolutely. when i was there, everyone should be same courses, which was foolish. we had people who had a couple of years of college who came in. now, with the elective system, they come in to the 21st century. we were still in the 19th century. as far aswas there academics are concerned. exciting subjects like naval boilers. i regularly used to get a nap in during that course, as i recall. host: retired navy. good morning. caller: good morning, senator. it is an honor and privilege to talk to you. i have waited a long time to touch base with you on this. . was a air corpsman my destroyer was on search-and- rescue the day it got shut -- shot down. i won't go into all the details , [indiscernible] on watch on the blink of the ship and i heard the whole thing on the radio. -- i wantt to know you to know that i have known about you my entire life. god bless you, sir. by the way, when i go for my walks, i go buy the house you and your wife used to live there. host: thank you and thank you for serving. i run everyplace else, into people like you who had the experience of being in the vietnam conflict. in most cases, it had a profound affect on their lives. i still think that one of the regrettable aspects of the vietnam war was the treatment of the men and women who served in that war. i am so glad that the attitude of the american people is so dramatically different. we honor them, whether we support barak and afghanistan, no matter what, we honor those who serve. ghanistan.d af a very belated welcome home to you. number of aircraft, including mine. a facility in downtown hanoi. the vietnamese with russian help, it was the most heavily defended their system ever. it was an exciting time. host: did you feel the sting of criticism when you came back? guest: no, because the pows were the only ones who were immune from that criticism. so many wonderful veterans that i knew that came back and could not understand why they were treated with such disdain and contempt by people who frankly were opponents of the war and took their opposition out on them. there's been a great deal of regret about that on the part of many americans. i forgive them all. now taken every opportunity we can to honor those of vietnam veterans come at which we did not at the time. most importantly, the honor and appreciation that we give to men and women who are serving is what is wonderful to me. , goonor one of our veterans to our hockey game, we honor our veterans. the men and women who are serving. it is a wonderful thing. host: maryland, republican line. good morning. caller: let me thank you so much for your service. as a proud alumni of the naval academy, too heavy as one of of our own is a great honor for me. both of my sons went to the academy. thank you for your son's service as well. my son is on active duty, as you have. i am very troubled by the lack of progress in washington, and i am wondering how can our navy and military operate we don't have a budget and they note -- and don't know what happened next? i am just asking what can we as citizens do to get some action so that our men and women serving in the greatest military in the world will have the funds to operate and to train and do what they need to do to protect this country? guest: on both sides of the aisle, there is isolation. we have seen a -- it before in the republican party and in the democrat party. the complete lack of concern about the impact of sequestration amongst my colleagues in the senate is something that is really been disturbing to me. it is an argument for more people in congress that have served in the military, but we are watching a deterioration of the readiness and capabilities of the military in a very dangerous world that seems to be almost a disconnect. centrifuges into ron -- in tehr an. korea, as we just talked about. the potential for conflict are on the rise, meanwhile the congress in the united states and the president of the united states don't seem to care very much about the fact that the marine corps recently testified would not be units deployable by the end of the year. that is incredible. yet, nobody seems to really mind that here in the congress. finally, we have seen this mov ie before, we sought after the vietnam war, when we allowed our operation training readiness to deteriorate to where the chief of staff testified before congress that we had a hollow army. we are nearing a hollow military if we continue these draconian cuts to our military. i am deeply concerned about it. i am even more concerned about the fact that it does not seem to be the concern in congress that there should be. certainly not with the president praised the president said that sequestration won't happen during the presidential campaign. what is the president doing trying to reverse sequestration ? host: a follow-up from one of our viewers who says this is eating us alive. guest: this is the problem we have. we have amendments by some of our colleagues to cut off aid to egypt, which would destroy the camp david agreements. foreign aid -- the fact is, if you don't want the united states to be involved and lead, who do you want to lead? we are seeing a lack of american leadership, which is exacerbating every single one of these situations. let me give you a small example. i was in a refugee camp in jordan were there were 50,000 refugees create there are now hundreds of thousands of refugees and the small country of jordan. the leaders of this camp say you see these children, he said those children will take revenge on those who refuse to help them as they see their families being slaughtered. we are grieving a group of jihad us that believe we never gave them any assistance. by the way, we have not. we pay a very heavy price for our lack of support for the people who are being massacred with the russian weapons and iranians on the ground. host: pennsylvania, last call for senator john mccain. good morning. caller: i want to thank you for your service, sir. i admire you very much. the thing i am worried about with north korea, i am an x vietnam navy marine corpsman. i know it is an intelligence blackhole. gun on us, we don't know if it is a blank or a real gun. if they fire one of these missiles, how do we really know is not a nuclear weapon? they are threatening every day to do this. what can we do about this? [indiscernible] when you question is, were on your aircraft carrier i rememberht fire, at that time when i was in the navy, we had a nuclear wash down system on aircraft carriers. a problem was we could not get to it because of the heat on the deck. theyays wanted to ask why never used the nuclear wash down system on the aircraft carrier during that time. that is my question. thank you, sir. guest: it is my understanding that the location of the nuclear weapons was such that it was very far away from where the fire was concentrated, which was on the flight deck and later down on the hangar deck. you also point out the problem in our earlier conversation, to think that this kim jong-un thinks like we do is a terribly, serious mistake. i don't the key wants to be wiped out, which would happen if he launched a missile. by the way, we have to make a decision as to whether we will take out that missile, if it is launched or not. which could about lead to some kind of unintended triggering that would then ,ause a conflict, which again there is no doubt who would prevail. but the cost in lives, as i mentioned earlier, the distance between seoul, korea, and the dmz, which is in range of north korea and keep abilities that are hidden in caves. all i can say is, it is incredibly dangerous. thechinese could shut down north korean economy in a relatively short. of time. the chinese have been saying some things lately, but they have to really exercise their influence. it sure would affect our relationships with china as to whether they reign in the north koreans or not. that are 200,000 people are being starved to death and beaten to death as we speak in north korea. thanks for doing this piece on the united states naval academy. i am very proud of the young people we have. i go back there fairly often. host: we have an aerial picture of the academy and how his -- it has changed physically. it is been -- host: you can see the growth. how often do you go back? guest: every few months or so. board of visitors of the naval academy, also. it has improved in every possible way. i also would like to point out that it has produced some of our great, great leaders. i was reading a book about the battle of midway and how many of the naval academy graduates literally went on a suicide mission against the japanese, torpedo planes of hours that were literally sitting ducks. , helieutenant commander said go win, go hard, go fast, godspeed. 90% of them were shot down and sacrificed their lives. no matter how the school was in those days, it produced some of the people that continue to inspire me today. host: nouri al-maliki, a piece in the washington post. iest: well, first of all, agree with him that better off than under saddam hussein, but that is a pretty low bar. we won the war thanks to the surge and we are losing the peace as we did not leave a iraqisl force behind. basically unraveling. the kurds are becoming more and more autonomous. conflict continues to rise. unfortunately, the sunni-shiite conflict tensions continue to rise. but it is what it is. i have great regret about the enormous sacrifice that we made, and we could have kept that victory if we had kept a residual force behind. president obama wanted out trade we are out and now we are paying the price. we conclude where we began, life at the naval academy. what is your son say about life and the rigors and the academics of the institution? he loved to the academy. he had a great experience. as you said, rather than the academic format when i was there, they gave him electives and chances to get into areas that they are very interested in. i met with a few naval academy graduates. i just met with navy midshipmen yesterday in my office that display a degree of intellectual curiosity and a challenge kind of attitude that i think is very important. and again, the qualifications of these young people is really important -- is phenomenal. i know that you have a daughter who is about to enter, and my advice to her is that during the first year, the only good news is they cannot make you live the day over again. during theorous time first year but it is also a time where you really become close to your classmates and make friendships that will be with you for many, many years to come. senator john mccain, republican from arizona, class of 1958, thanks for stopping by. we appreciate it. guest: thank you. host: you can get more information on the u.s. naval academy website. we want to introduce you to one of the graduating seniors at the naval academy, and she is joining us just outside one of the ships at the academy. she is a midshipmen first class, which means she is a senior. thanks for being with us. guest: thank you, mr. scully. it is an honor to be here. host: what has this life done for you? guest: i love the naval academy. it has been a fantastic four years, a great ride. i wanted to come here to mentally andelf, physically. that appealed to me and it appeals to a lot of midshipmen here. i have definitely grown in all of those areas and i'm very grateful for it. host: what was the biggest adjustment coming four years ago, with the four years of the academics at the institution? guest: the biggest adjustment -- everyone at the naval go-emy is a high achieving getter, and even though you are required to achieve highly in the academics and athletics, to put those personal goals aside for team goals. that has been really rewarding and built a lot of camaraderie along -- among mike fascinates and myself. -- among my classmates and myself. host: what kind of training goes on on that vessel for you and other midshipmen? specifically our freshman year we do a lot of your control training, freshman and sophomore year. you learn how to steer the ship and navigate and take the right backation to go out and all by yourself. you learn how to talk. it is one of the most hands-on classes we have at the naval academy. of yourve us a sense own background. you grew up in new york trade why did you apply to the naval academy, what are the schools did you consider, what are you studying, and what are you planning as you graduate? growing up on long island, i came from a predominantly white background. my town was very homogeneous. i knew that the naval academy had people from all over the country and the world and i wanted to gain a different experience and learn about other people's perspectives. that was one major thing that attracted me. also, the academics. my major is political science, and senator mccain said that we get to choose electives and pick things of our own interests. speaking of north korea, i've semester to, this past alone, write two papers on the korean crisis and provide humanitarian aid specifically within my major. that has been rewarding. host: what are you going to you when you finish this spring? service selected marine corps ground, so after graduation, we get some time now and then we report to the basic school in quantico, virginia for training. host: and you are all called midshipmen, correct? male and female? guest: that's right, sir. host: do you know the breakdown of men and women in the academy, percentage? guest: about 25% women, sir. a little bit of fire -- a little higher lately. host: thank you for spending a few minutes with us. guest: thank you, sir. it is minor -- it is an honor to be here. host: the academies about 35 miles away from our nations capital, along the severn river, and was founded back in 1845. it recently celebrated its 150th anniversary during the clinton administration. and now embarking on academic programs that we talked about earlier. later in the program, the navy secretary ray made this will be at the table to talk about what he first century warfare. we want to introduce you to another key individual at the academy, captain stephen trainor come a joining us from annapolis. thanks for being with us. guest: good morning, steve. thanks for having me today. i am honored to be here this morning. to trainr job is these midshipmen. walk us through the process. guest: well, really, the process is integrative. i tell people that i have the best job at the naval academy, because wherever i go, whomever i interacted with, we talk about leadership, and leader development. that is what the naval academy is all about. our purpose is to grow, shape, and motivate leaders for the navy and the marine corps. my job is really to integrate the academic program and the physical and the moral development programs at the naval academy in a way that effectively produces graduates for the navy and marine corps. how specifically do you do that in particular when it comes to mental training and acuteness? , as the deanagain pointed out earlier, we are interested in having graduates who are critical thinkers and effective decision-makers, who can deal with the convex problems that the navy and marine corps face in the present times and future times. we have a formal academic wegram and leadership, but also look broadly across the curriculum and take opportunities to find problem- based learning experiences and other opportunities in the academic program through case study analysis, understanding and studying leaders, and their performance, and use those lessons as a way to inform the thatenges and the roles our graduates will undertake when they leave the academy. and then we combine that with experiences at the naval academy. you had an opportunity to see and talk a little bit about the training craft, the arbitral craft, but our midshipmen engaged in a whole host of experiences through physical development, out in the fleet, during summer training, and here at the naval academy in order to integrate what they learn in the classroom with the actual tactical experiences of becoming leaders. looking atve been some of the video of the training that takes place outside bankrupt call and elsewhere -- bancroft hall and elsewhere. is equal to academics? where do you strike a balance between the two? ,uest: it is always a challenge because as the superintendent said, this is a military training as a lady and an undergraduate educational experience. we seek to build a balance but also to identify opportunities to leverage what we are already doing. the physical development that all midshipmen engage in, whether it is through a classroom physical training experience, typical physical education program, that is something that complements what the midshipmen engage in on the athletic fields. all midshipmen participate in varsity scores, club sports, or intramural sports. they use those opportunities to leverage their leadership development hot talents, and skills to become resilient, persevering, and educated leaders that will help -- and dedicated leaders that will help them as they move onto the navy marine corps. moral, to balance the mental, physical aspects of of the naval academy experience. that is what makes the service academy experience unique, that balance between those three areas. asidewe have one line set for those of you who are active or retired navy or possibly a graduate of the u.s. naval academy. capt. stephen to trainor, who is live at the naval academy in annapolis. expand the connection for those who are not familiar with the military hierarchy within the navy and the marine corps. navy and marine corps both have have hierarchies of rank within them, and the officer corps basically delivers officers from three different commissioning services -- the naval academy rotc, an officer candidate school. one/3, 1/3, 1/three between those three sources right now. our graduates are commissioned as an since in the navy or second lieutenants in the marine corps. host: we have a tweet -- is the public allowed to view the classes? what is open and what is close to the general public? -- thethe nature will naval academy is a national treasure and it is open for visits. there are certain security restrictions, as any military base would have. but the naval academy is one of the more visited landmarks in maryland each year. we accommodate numerous visitors rate we have a wonderful visitors center. and guided tours throughout the naval academy. there are restrictions on observing things like classes and things such as that, formations on the many of the extracurricular activities, certainly the sporting events are really very great venues to see the midshipmen in action and is wonderful young men and women who are dedicated and motivated and going on to serve this nation in key roles. i would encourage people to come and visit the naval academy. it is a wonderful place, a gray national treasure, and a super opportunity to understand and feel confident about the next generation of leaders for this nation. for: part of the training the midshipmen and also the arbitral boats that we have -- the yard patrol boats we have been looking at, going through the routine training for, in particular, the freshman. let's look at the top service assignments for the class of 2013, graduating this year. resident barack obama will deliver the commencement address it with a total of 777 graduates in the navy, among those, 234 becoming navy pilots, 221 serve as warfare of the dash surface warfare officers, and 132 in summary, and part of the naval academy graduates, 177 as ground officers and 87 islets in the u.s. marine corps. -- pilots in the u.s. marine corps. ,im is joining us from richmond virginia. republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. how are you? i name is kim, and i have a junior in high school who is a very high achiever. he is also athletic. he is currently looking at ivy league schools, but will probably be very interested in this program. do your students continue on to graduate programs? can you tell me a little bit about your program in terms of and how ias well, would learn more about it and could i bring him up there for an admission tour and interview? host: thank you, kim. we will get a response. guest: jim, thank you. that is a great question. the website has a host of information on it i can answer a number of those questions. but our admissions offices are open year-round with the exception of a couple of national holidays. they have informational briefings and sessions with our admissions guidance counselors every single day. i would certainly encourage your child to come to the naval academy and meet with the emissions staff. they can answer a lot of -- meet with the admissions staff. they can answer a lot of questions. it involves both of the nomination process and the actual admissions to the naval academy. it is very complex and certainly something that takes some time to get through. starting early, junior high school, is definitely advisable. we are seeking young men and women who are motivated and talented and really ready and able and willing to serve their .ountry for a higher purpose the first step in any admissions process is to get to know the naval academy better. we have a summer seminar opportunity where young men and women have the ability to come to the naval academy and experience on a short-term basis firsthand and get a better sense of what the academy experience is all about and then understand the educational opportunities as well. as i think the dean mentioned earlier in the program, there are a small number of midshipmen who, once they finish their academic program, pursue graduate education while they are awaiting their commissioning and finishing up the rest of their requirements. the navy and marine corps do sponsor sponsor opportunities for graduate education outside upon graduation, and once people have spent time out in the fleet. i would argue that a vast majority of navy and marine corps officers to pursue advanced education at some point in their careers as a way to better themselves, make them better officers, and more capable leaders. that is something that people engage in. i myself prior to coming to the naval academy pursued a phd in sociology at the university of maryland in preparation for my role as professor at the naval academy. the academy provides rich expenses for education and training throughout one's rear. -- one loss career. -- one's careeh r. host: does the training differ between men and women? are the sameasses regardless of gender. there are martial arts courses, swimming courses, personal conditioning courses, that all of the midshipmen take that help prepare them and provide them thatperseverance and grit are essential components of being an effective leader. addition to that there are basic physical readiness standards that all military personnel must adhere to, regardless of their gender. those standards are things that we carry forward at the naval academy and we also carry forward into the fleet once they graduate. it is about maintaining your own physical fitness, because as a leader you have to be most excellent and be that role model, but it is also about having a healthy lifestyle and being part of a winning team that competes. all of the midshipmen are involved in some form of extracurricular athletic competition, whether it is far city athletics, club sports, or intramural sports. it covers the gamut and it is essential to being an effective leader. a naval academy graduate yourself? guest: i am, steve. i graduated in the class of 1983. host: c is joining us with capt. stephen trainor. caller: good morning. i just wanted to recognize what the academy adds to young men's lives. he eventually became admiral william lawrence -- spoke to our graduation class in 1951. he went on to be a pilot. he was shot down over vietnam and was in prison for six years. the point i am trying to make lawrence was fairly -- he was an outstanding athlete and also an outstanding scholar in high school, he went on and when he spoke to our graduation class, he had been the commandant of the troops his senior year, but in spite of all of that -- and then going and being shot down -- he never changed. he had a depth of his sincerity and honesty and, well, he had a that he had obviously -- his parents had helped him, but he had achieved at the academy. he later came back and was the commandant of the academy for several years. host: charlie, thanks for the call and sharing that story with us. captain trainor? honor ofhad the experiencing the leadership of admiral lawrence. he was the superintendent of the naval academy when i was a midshipmen. and he was a tremendous role model and he embodied the real values of honor, courage, and commitment, and his personal story is an amazing personal story of leadership as a prisoner of war, as a leader in the fleet, and as a leader of the brigade of midshipmen. i also had the honor of serving under his daughter, wendy lawrence, brigade commander at the naval academy, and went on to a very successful career as an astronaut in the nasa program. that is one of the aspects of leadership that is really important to highlight about the naval academy and the service academy experience, the impact of role models, role models like admiral lawrence who affected me in my development as a leader, and a place such as the naval academy provides our future with thef this nation opportunity to hear from and experience and to be around combat-tested leaders and leaders of character and leaders who embody the highest ideals of our service defense -- of our service ethos. i had the honor and privilege of serving under admiral lawrence, and that is what we aspire to provide to all of our graduates, that opportunity to be around those leaders, because it is motivational and inspirational but it also provides us with the knowledge and effective role models to model our lives as leaders as ,ell. host: captain trainor let me conclude on a couple of points. you mentioned leadership. according to the u.s. naval academy website, the academy includes one president, jimmy carter, two cabinet members, five governors, 16 ambassadors, and 24 members of congress, all graduates of the academy. one of the issues getting a lot of attention on her twitter page deals with the issue of sexual harassment. is a sexual harassment a problem that the economy, and if so, have do you and others deal with it? guest: well, i think the most important thing to focus on is that we developed and we promote an environment an institution that values and respects every single individual. we have men and women in the navy and the marine corps today who are serving, leading, sacrificing, and dying for all of us as americans. it is in heritage that we as leaders of this institution provide -- it is imperative that we as leaders of this institution provide an environment that is focused on leadership that gets to the heart of respect for each and every individual. my job as the director of leadership, education, and development is to ensure that our programs, the athletic program, academic programs, the moral development programs, all highlight that and all provide opportunities for individuals -- the staff, the faculty, and the students, midshipmen -- judy ensure that they are -- to ensure that they are aware of and recognize and embrace those core values of respect, dignity of every single individual. we cannot sidestep the fact that there are problems across those arend challenges that every organization faces, but i can assure you that the naval academy is focused on and takes very seriously the fact that we hold americans -- america's future treasure here, the young men and women of this institution trade we are very serious about ensuring that this institution embodies the highest ideals and that we focus on making sure that every individual, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity, is respected, protected, and prepared to lead the navy marine corps. host: before we let you go, give our audience a sense of where physically you are located on the campus. what is behind you and how has the school changed over the years, as one of the other vessels prepares to come in? guest: i am physically located at the sailing center and this is the national collegiate sailing hall of fame. of will see a variety sailing craft, which, obviously, as they've academy we provide the experience for our students, the midshipman, but it also provides leadership experience for them, as they go out and train in the summers and during the school year as members of the varsity sailing teams, and also as teams who go up and down the coast in the summertime. that is really one of the prime leadership opportunities of the naval academy, to allow young men and women to go off on their own homage to chart a course, to set a goal, to build a team, to work through those challenges as young leaders -- 19, 22, 23- year-olds having to face a conflict environment of sailing at sea. that in and of itself is a unique leadership experience that not many undergraduates get to experience. beyond that is the physical facility which is a hallmark of institution and a place where we post our track and field competitions as well. hall, that is bankrupt where the -- and croft call them aware the midshipman -- bancroft hall, where the midshipmen live. they take on roles and its possibilities that are real, responsibility for leading their ears and a compass and the goals of the naval academy and mentally leadership structure -- and the leadership structure is unique to the service academies. bancroft hall is where that all occurs and begins. it culminates in just a little over a month with the graduation of the class of 2013, as they head out to lead sailors and marines in the fleet. capt. stephen trainor, joining us live from the naval academy in annapolis great thanks very much for being with us are. guest: thank you, steve. it's been a pleasure. host: we want to welcome the navy secretary, former governor of mississippi, ray matus -- ray mabus. guest: glad to be with you, steve. host: this was announced in "the new york times." explain. directedll, these energy weapons, lasers, can engage all sorts of different threats, like swarming boats, drones, or in the future, .ircraft, virtually anything they can do it with unlimited ammo, as long as the ship produces power. .hey've got ammunition to shoot host: i just want to explain what we are looking at. the monitor right over there, as it is being used -- explain how the technology works. -- you are talking to an english major here -- what it is a laser system that concentrates energy at a certain spot. it can destroy -- as you can see on the laser -- on the video -- it destroys circus craft. we have destroyed drones. or you can dial it back. a lot of our ships and fleet today have dancers, which basically can shut down electronic gear on and any craft .r confuse their crew the other thing about it is, in these constrained budget environments, once you get the system, it is very cheap to shoot but it costs about one dollar a shot compared with over $1 million on missile. that one of the questions often comes up as we look at military academies, are they necessary? do we still need a naval academy when warfare has changed so much in the last 30 years? guest: i think it is more relevant than ever two, number one, teacher leadership and people how to lead and how to be innovators and thinkers. it produces about half of the officers that we bring in. the rest of them come in from an rotc, which is how i got in the navy, and officer candidate school. these schools and the naval academy, fort bragg, were chosen as the best public liberal arts school in the country last year. the people that go there are subjected to incredibly ,igorous academic standards physical standards, military standards. they go onto, and all most every case, be leaders leaders in the navy and the marine corps. i think that having this single or focus, the single-purpose -- half of them graduate with a degree in one of the stem courses, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the only school equal and percentage of graduates is m.i.t. they go out with this technical background and this technological edge into the navy, and are on the cutting edge of doing some of the new things like these weapons that the navy brings on board. host: we asked you about a story yesterday and "the washington times." the u.s. joining other nations with drills in the persian gulf. what happens on these drills? how do you interact with other navies? guest: these are some of the that weortant things do. drills, regardless of where they happen -- it is to make sure that we can talk to each other and know each other's operating parameters and make sure that we are in sync with other , because we can do so much more together than we can individually out there. the drill that you are talking about, that fact that we are doing counter piracy work off of the east coast of africa, with almost 20 other nations, the fact that the largest maritime and the in the world pacific happens every two years off the coast of all why -- off the coast of hawaii, and we have got aegis ships in the western pacific now. and we keep aegis ships in the western pacific against threats like a north korea. japan and south korea also have exactly the same system, have aegis ships. we operate together, we train together, we exercise together so that if something happens, we are prepared together to meet whatever threat there is. in pacific,m and with navy ships poised to do whatever is necessary, depending on one's happens in north korea, how do you strike the balance so that you don't look bellicose, you don't look like you are threatening the north korean government, and yet also be prepared? i think the main way you do that is you are just there all the time. we keep ships in the western pacific and have for decades on an ongoing basis. we exercise on an ongoing basis. basis.n on an ongoing we have ships home ported in japan. we have a carrier strike group there, we have an entity is ready group in japan. we have our newest ship -- we will have four of those in singapore. and just having them there so that if there is a crisis, if there -- if something does come up, we are not escalating by setting ships there. the destroyers we have in the western pacific now are in the western pacific regardless of whether this had come up. 60% of the naval fleet is in the pacific come correct? 55% today, but it is part of the re-dollars to the pacific. -- part of the rebalance the deb -- part of the rebalance to the pacific. this new defense strategy that we have that the president announced a year ago in january , buildingime strategy partnerships around the world. you have got to have a got a keep a great navy and record to do that. host: our guest is a former naval officer and former ambassador to saudi arabia. also served as the governor of mississippi and is now the navy secretary. our phone lines are open. we also have a line opened for those of you active or retired navy. this is from james, who says -- again, you went back to the issue of what we are training and what we need to be prepared for. guest: sailing at the naval academy or sailing, period? host: sailing, period. guest: 87% of the earth is covered by water, 90% of the trade goes by sea. this is more a maritime century then there is ever been. , the going toes see, the sailing, it is more critical today than it has ever been. you could make a very good argument that the reason that the world economy has been a staple -- as stable as it has been, the reason that asia has has beenmuch as it has at least greatly due to the united states navy keeping the sea lanes open, making sure that anybody engaged in peaceful commerce can get to where they are going. without an incident we are the only global navy in the world. we have a global responsibilities. aspect of our economy, the seagoing aspect of our world, is greater than the -- greater today than it was 150 years ago, when he thought of people going to asea in sailing ships. host: the amount of personnel required for some of these vessels -- an average aircraft 5000, a destroyer, 250, and a submarine, 140. these are approximate numbers. how do they train for this? how does it differ if you are on an aircraft carrier versus a summary -- a submarine? guest: in the first place, we have the best force we have ever had in terms of the people entering, the people staying. if you are going summary, for example, -- if you are going submarines, for example, you have got to go through two things. you have got to go through submarine school to learn the unique things that go on there, and then go to nuclear power school. the navy pioneered the use of .uclear for transportation and i am going to talk about history just a little bit should we have always been in the lead for energy coal tomations, from oil, and then we pioneered nuclear. we have an unparalleled safety record in nuclear and we are moving to the next generation of power in terms of renewable resources. on an are going to be aircraft carrier, it depends on your specific job. if you are going to be an ordinance technician where you are loading bombs or you are going to be a young man, where you are part of the navigation staff, whatever, we have specific schools for that. as you are coming out of boot camp, you do that, and then the training never stops, regardless of what kind of ship you are on. the numbers are coming down on these ships did the new passive aircraft carrier will have 1500 fewer people on it. if our littoral combat ship has a crew of about 40 and weapons crew of about 50, so it will be fewer than 100 people on that ship. of the training begins on the yard patrol ships, which are situated in annapolis, maryland. at live pictures from the economy, as lee joins us from florida. caller: good morning. guest: good morning. caller: good morning. how are you, sir? guest: i'm fine. how are you, billy? caller: [indiscernible] host: i'm sorry, we didn't get the question. caller: i was in the navy myself, on the enterprise, first nuclear carrier. writing when president kennedy came on board to review that fleet. i was on board when that happened. guest: the enterprise, as you know, as you said, our first nuclear carrier grade it was retired last december 1 after .ore than 50 years of service the american taxpayer got their money's worth. one of the things that i was -- the be able to do secretary of the navy is privileged to name all the naval ships -- is to see -- say that the aircraft carrier after the john kennedy will be named enterprise. we have had eight enterprises in our fleet, and the name enterprise ought to be in the u.s. navy going forward for another half-century. host: last weekend you commissioned the uss arlington. why was it named arlington echo guest why was it named arlingto? guest: one of three ships named after nine/11, the new york game for the world trade center, and the somerset was named for the county and pennsylvania, where the flight went down. these three ships each have steel from the world trade center in the body of the ship. ofy are living reminders that day, but also of the resilience of america and how we come back and how tough and ready we are for any eventuality. host: gordon is joining us from laramie, wyoming with ray mabus. caller: good morning, gentlemen. thanks for your service, both of you, one with c-span, the other with the navy. i am retired coast guard. coast guard army and coast guard reserves before i retired. 1960s, in 1967, i was privileged to serve on the eagle, america's tall ship. i'm a first cadet cruise or -- a first cadet cruise or to montréal for the expo there. i was a core man then and thank the good lord i retired. i am great fall for that. -- i am very grateful for that. in general, even on a small sailboat, it will teach teamwork and leadership. and that is really important. host: thanks. we will get a response. guest: it does. it teaches things like teamwork, things like leadership, and the yard patrol craft, they take those out and taken up the coast, all the way up the east coast, they learn the basics of seamanship. even though you are on the secretively technologically advanced ships, you have to know how to sail and navigate and know how to lead a large group of people. thing that ihe navy and our military does better than anybody on earth. we push responsibility down, we push it to the lowest ranks and the youngest ages. we expect great work out of every single person on every single ship. of thehat is the job navy secretary and what is your role overseeing the naval academy? guest: my job is to recruit, train, and equip the united states navy and marine corps and give the commander-in-chief the assets that are needed for whatever eventuality comes up. and as part of the training, i am in charge of the naval academy. i oversee that and all the other training that goes on in the navy. host: what is the biggest challenge you think the academy is facing as it prepares for a new generation of officers? have a question the last time about sexual assault, and the chief naval operations and i take this incredible he seriously -- incredibly seriously. we had a number -- we had a report that basically the numbers had not gotten any better in the past few years. so we went there and that the entire brigade of midshipmen and talk to them. and i told them, i am not concerned about this, i am angry about this. this is an attack on a shipmate, this is an attack on one of your fellow officers. if you had somebody walking through the naval academy with a gun taking random shots at people, you would take that pretty seriously. this is the same thing. this is an attack on somebody that you will be dependent on, because when you raise your hand and take that oath, you are saying that you are part of something bigger than yourself. andare a member of a team you are willing to risk your life with the numbers of the team. they have better intervene and do the things that it takes to make sure that everybody in the united states navy is safe and secure, particularly in the naval academy. i think the other thing that the academy faces is just the incredible pace of change, incredible way that the future is unfolding so fast, and to make sure that we don't simply graduate people who say it has always been done that way. we cannot do anything different. who areuating people independent thinkers, innovators,, who don't see things just through the prism of the past, that say we can do this differently, we can do this better, we can do this in a .ompletely unique way that is a challenge for all higher education, but particular lee for the academy. does that include harassment of gays and lesbians at the academy? guest: we have -- that includes all sexual harassment. don't askrepeal of don't tell -- host: which is relatively new, so you are dealing with this right now. guest: but the big news out of that is that basically nothing happened. ,eople have just accepted it move on. the pentagon, i think, did a good job of getting everybody .eady for this i thought it was long overdue, the repeal of don't ask don't tell. most of the people felt the same way. the spike or been of gays andnt lesbians that sometimes we had .eared going into this but it doesn't matter who the target is. it matters that there is harassment or assault of any kind. students at the naval academy are dressed as midshipmen, the official military rank. you can see the students between classes and also on the yard ship, the arbitral ship. we have some of the basic training required of all of the graduates, and the graduation ceremony will take place next month. charles is joining us from connecticut, republican line, with ray mabus, u.s. navy secretary. caller: good morning, steve. it's 32 days. good morning, mr. secretary. i question has to do with what you are just speaking of, new ways of thinking. in this day of nuclear arms, ira member films -- i remember films when the testing was done and the way that many of the ships mortar round the island had been inundated if not actually capsized by one single bomb. i am wondering, in view of that -- for instance, like in the invasion of france in the second world war am a it would have been virtually impossible with just one single bomb in the english channel. it would have completely destroyed most of the fleet that was there. how do we compensate for something like that today, where it would be almost , aossible to establish, say group around an aircraft carrier for protection or something like that, where they could literally all be wiped out with one single stroke? .ost: thanks for the call we will hear from you in about a month, i suspect. moves, and onegy of the things we have got to do is move with technology. it is one of the reasons that even in tight budgets, you have got to keep research and develop an going, you have got to keep the development of weapons systems and new types of ships and new systems in general to meet whatever threat there is, to meet the threat that he was talking about or to meet the new emerging threats that pose different but no less significant dangers. host: an example in " transportation" magazine, this blip used by the navy to trust -- to test submarines. the u.s. navy has been testing this blip in the jacksonville area to see if he could be used as a submarine spotter in the coast of central and south america. can you elaborate ? dealers react to technological changes, and they do semi-submersibles and and now submersible -- full submersible summaries. they are very functional submarines. using can spot them something like a stable platform like a blimp, it is hard to spot them from surface. host: are these unmanned blimps? guest: no, these are manned, but we are experimenting with a whole variety of aircraft systems and unmanned surface and subsurface systems to not only go after this but to go , mines,rmal submarines surface ships. us fromeve is joining gaithersburg, maryland. retired navy. , thanks verytary much. i was impressed to hear all these activities that were underway. i want to give a quick shout out in the mississippi area. i've got a brother that is down at the center come a and his mary o'keefeof the center in ocean springs. i am sure they would love to have you down there. and i appreciate that, having lived most of my life in mississippi and that being one of the real crown jewels of science and technology that we have in this country. unfortunately, this job keeps me here and on the road and i don't get to spend much time in mississippi anymore, but please tell them i said hey, and up the incredibly good work. host: where are the major naval bases here in the u.s.? guest: we have full concentrations in norfolk, they have been roads area, san diego, california, puget sound, washington state. those are the three largest. but there are also went in whole ie and pearl harbor. aii, the are once in haw harbor, luger and, california, camp pendleton. and then we have smaller bases all around the country. -- the electric boat that makes our submarines, some of our submarines in connecticut, huntington ingalls industries to, and in -- huntington is in hit-and-run, some of our smaller shipyards for example, osc, and alabama and wisconsin. host: mint in new hampshire, good morning -- raymond in new hampshire, good morning. caller: my question is an environmental question. i wonder what the navy -- if the navy does anything about these like in theris, pacific, the atlantic, that are washing up on shores. i am concerned that it may even block your radar or whatever. how does the navy handle that? do they do anything about it? host: thank you, ted. guest: you can rest assured that we can do our mission. but it is an environmental concern and a concern for the heirs of that these things are there. -- a concern for the earth that these things are there. our mission is a military mission, and we do it exceptionally well. it is not part of it. but we are trying not to add to the problem. one thing is that we are recycling as much as possible to make sure that we don't dump things over the side. to take things like oil spills very, very seriously. i mentioned earlier, we are moving to renewable fuels by no later than 2020. at least half of all energy energy afloat and ashore will come from non-fossil fuel sources. the main reason we're are doing that is to be better war fighters, but it also has the side benefit of being good for the environment. host: we are looking at the insignia of the u.s. naval academy, which is written in the latin, but in english means " from knowledge, seapower." this is one of the many memorials and tributes to navy life at the naval academy in annapolis. you may not know the answer, so i apologize if you don't, but why in annapolis? why did the navy but it's academy there? guest: to the best of my knowledge, because it was close to washington but also because it is a good port and a good place to train future leaders. as you point out, it has been there for -- since the 1840s and has produced generation after generation of naval leaders. ord to find a more welcoming prettier place then annapolis. this morning,you see temperatures are ideal. captain o'brien joins us from california. we look at scenes from the naval academy, 35 miles from where we are at. good morning, sir. goodr: good morning, and morning, mr. secretary, and congratulations on your performance. i thank you for your service. as i am looking at these pictures of annapolis come it reminds me of my time there. i was in the united states naval reserve merchant marine reserve community, and i taught at luce hall seamanship and a navigation. northanded a yp in the atlantic. we went to halifax. i just fell in love with annapolis and the whole culture there. also, i am qualified for all sailing vessels. they tried to have a british officer or merchant marine officer accompany the youngsters, and for your viewers that have not heard that term, we refer to the second-year people, the sophomores, as youngsters, and we refer to the seniors as fir sties. whoad three firsties committed each watch and they were training the youngsters and they were supervising them and keeping everybody safe trade one question i have about the navy -- the naming of the ships -- why don't we have a uss ranger i served in the navy aboard the uss ranger five years ago, and it was a historic name. that was john paul jones' ship. and why do we have an o'brien anymore? we had five o'briens, named after jeremiah o'brien. jeremiah o'brien waged and won the first battle of the revolutionary war. we have a naval ship in san francisco named after jeremiah o'brien. my wife is always telling people that i am his grandson, which brings a great laugh, because i'm not that old. i am an old man, but juror my head died childless. at any rate, i will get off the air and listen to your response about the ranger andy o'brien as ships names. thank you. guest: both very good names. we have gotissue -- a whole lot of great naval names, a whole lot of names that are worthy of being on american ships. we have a very limited number of ships to name at any given time. i have named 40-some-odd in my four years in this job, but that does not come anywhere close to honoring all the people and places. we name our submarines mainly after states. our amphibious ships, the big amphibious ships, after marine battles. the next size amphibious ships after large cities. we name our little role, ships after smaller cities. toral smallerr lit ships after smaller cities. you have 20 names possible for every single ship. it is one of the really difficult decisions that you have to make. but you want to, number one, honor those sea services and honor america, and a number make the navy -- make the names of those ships reflect america and the values we all have and we all share. host: according to the u.s. ,avy, there are 283 vessels and the budget -- we talked about sequestration earlier, but the annual budget for the u.s. navy, $174 billion. next is bob, joining us from indiana with ray mabus, u.s. navy secretary. caller: good morning. thank you, secretary, for your service. the cruisers and destroyers we have, their main guns, if i am correct, is a 60 -- 56- millimeter gun, although it has a long tube. that is smaller than our m1 abrams tank. and there was an eight-inch gun system that was being developed. i was wondering your thoughts about a bigger gun on those ships foreground shore bombardment. my last question would be related to the battleships grade i hated to see all the battleships stricken, and i was wondering why you don't see more ships get mothballed for future use in case of emergency. host: thanks for the call. guest: in terms of weapons vessels on a cruiser that had six-inch guns and four-inch guns, i know what to guns are like. i am going to be specific weapons to real experts on this, but i would point out that our cruisers and destroyers today have just an incredible variety of weapons that they can choose ,rom and that they can use ,verything from cruise missiles the types of missiles, the things we talked about earlier, beginning to see these laser weapons. and the problem with the issue

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