CLEVELAND -- It's Navy Week in Cleveland!
In celebration of the military event, Thomas Modly, the Under Secretary of the Navy, visited WKYC's studios Thursday morning to talk about an array of topics -- including everything from Navy Week itself to President Trump's planned Space Force. Being a Northeast Ohio native from Shaker Heights, he even talked up Cleveland sports.
Below are highlights of our lengthy conversation. You can watch the full interview in the player above.
Why Navy Week in Cleveland?
“The point of Navy Week is to get out to various communities in the United States and expose them to the Navy and what the Navy does. It’s an opportunity for us to connect with the population so they understand better what the role and mission of the Navy is.”
►GUIDE | Cleveland Navy Week schedule
Using Navy Week as a recruiting tool
“This is a great area with a lot of intellectual capital, and we’d like to be able to bring those people into service and give them some exposure into what we do.”
Motivation for joining the Navy
"For me, growing up here in Cleveland, it was about the opportunity to go do something different, something unique and see the world. It really depends on the individual. The Navy has a lot to offer to young people from training and education, and also the opportunity to expose themselves to other parts of the world and other parts of the country."
Meeting sailors around the world
“That’s the greatest part of this job when I get out of Washington and get onto to ships and talk to our sailors. My staff is getting very tired of me doing this, but every time I go to a ship my first question is, ‘Anyone from Cleveland? Any Browns fans here?’ That’s always a really great connection. It’s amazing to know how many people from Cleveland are all over the world -- particularly serving in the Navy. … The kids we have in the Navy now are more educated, much more digitally focused and we’re trying to build a force that will attract those types of people. But at the core, they’re the same. They love the country, they love the Navy and they really want to serve.”
Defense spending
“I’m the Chief Management Officer of the Navy, and the CIO. My responsibility is really to make sure that every dollar that we get from the taxpayers is used appropriately and that we’re getting the most that we can from the money that we get from the taxpayers.”
Space Force
“Space has become just another domain that we need to protect. We have lots of very, very expensive and critical assets in space. Our adversaries have been very aggressive in figuring out how to combat that capability. So we need to be just as aggressive to make sure that we can protect that. The President has made it very clear that he wants us in the Department of Defense to determine a way to build a Space Force so we can basically protect those assets. We’re in the process of going through and looking at that right now to understand what that means and how we structure the organization to accomplish those objectives. I’m the senior representative of the Navy on those discussions right now. The Navy has key interests in that area. Even though we’re on the water, but clearly we need satellites for communication as do all the other services.”
North Korea
"I think the President's approach with respect to engagement is the right approach. We've tried for 20 years, different administrations have been trying to get this thing under control. I think we're making progress, but I think we have to be very sober in our assessment of this because it is going to take a long time. It's a very closed society. It's very sort of unipolar with respect to the power structure there. I think it's just going to take time. I think the President and Secretary Pompeo are both doing everything we can to diffuse that situation and get it back onto a more even keel."
Future ship named for Cleveland?
"The Secretary of the Navy and I have been talking about the ship-naming process. I've been lobbying heavily for him to name one of the future ships the "USS Cleveland." There have been three ships named the USS Cleveland, the last one was an LPD that was taken out of commission several years ago. There was also a cruiser that saw a lot of battle in World War II. I've been pushing on him. I said, 'Sir, I think Cleveland would be a great name for a ship.' He actually spent some time here in the Cleveland area, so he's all in on this. Unfortunately he can't name until we actually have one of the future ships under contract, which will probably be happening in the next year or so. I wouldn't be surprised that one of the future LCS -- possibly one that's being built up in Wisconsin -- could be named the USS Cleveland. It would make its transit into the fleet by coming through Lake Erie, and I think that would be a great way to celebrate this town and all its contributions to our defense."
Does he have hope for the Cleveland Browns?
"Isn't that what being a Browns fan is all about? Absolutely. Sure, of course I have hope. There's a kinship among Browns fans everywhere. That's another thing, I've been to Browns Backers clubs all over the world, too. There's a big one in Annapolis, my current hometown. We always have hope. I love all the sports teams here. I have four children. They were all raised in the Annapolis area, but they were forbidden from rooting for any team from Washington or Baltimore. They are all Cleveland fans, and I think it just runs deep for the people that grew up here. It's one of the great connections that I can make when I see them out on the fleet."
Can he get LeBron James back to Cleveland?
"Loved having LeBron here. He contributed amazing things to this city, and continues to do so. I've always been a big fan of his. People make decisions, and there's free agency. I guess, ultimately, we're all free agents. I have the sense that he still has his heart here in a lot of ways. I wish him the best of luck, but I'll continue to root for the Cavs."
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Modly was sworn in as the 33rd Under Secretary of the Navy on Jan. 5.
He's an Ohio native who grew up outside of Cleveland.