250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States Navy

Proclamation 10982 of October 10, 2025

250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United
States Navy

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the rising tide of
revolution surged from land to sea when the Second
Continental Congress established what would ultimately
become the United States Navy--the mightiest, most
lethal, and most legendary maritime fighting force ever
conceived. Today, we honor the Navy's epic role in
safeguarding our sovereignty and projecting our power
beyond our coasts. We salute the Navy's indispensable
role throughout every chapter of our national story.
Above all, we pay tribute to the generations of gallant
Sailors who have fearlessly lived by those timeless
words: Non sibi sed patriae--Not for self, but for
country.

Nearly 6 months after the American Revolution erupted
into open fire at the Battles of Lexington and Concord,
the path to independence remained long and uncertain.
Following King George III's rejection of the Olive
Branch Petition--the American Colonies' final attempt
to avoid full descent into war--it became clear that
the Army alone would not be sufficient. Indeed, to
protect their freedom of trade, defend their homes
against invasion, and seize British supplies at sea,
the American Colonies had no choice but to extend their
righteous crusade for independence beyond their shores.

On October 13, 1775, in a radical and extraordinary act
of self-determination, the Second Continental Congress
passed a resolution to formally establish the
Continental Navy.

Almost immediately, the Congress purchased ships and
established a naval committee, which quickly took up
its immortal place in history. In the 250 years since,
our American story has been infused with seminal naval
battles fought by legions of Sailors who safeguarded
our liberty with unwavering grit. In every conflict--
from our fight for independence, through two world
wars, to battles in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian
Gulf--the Navy has secured our sovereignty at sea and
heroically defended our birthright of freedom against
every enemy, big or small.

In November 1781, just weeks after the Patriots'
triumph over British forces at Yorktown, General George
Washington penned a letter to a French military
officer, in which he stated: ``It follows then as
certain as that night succeeds the day, that without a
decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive, and
with it, everything honorable and glorious.'' On this
250th anniversary of the United States Navy, we
reaffirm those mighty words. We salute the
extraordinary devotion of our active duty and Reserve
Sailors and the families who bear the sacrificial life
of service with unmatched resilience and grace--and we
pledge to keep our Navy, our country, and our
inheritance of freedom alive and flourishing for
generations to come. We will never give up the ship.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim October 13, 2025, as
a day to commemorate the founding of the United States
Navy with appropriate ceremonies and programs. I call
upon all Americans to honor the Navy's rich heritage,
and the patriotism of all who have served.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.