| This speech will center on the SEAL'S 25-week course of instruction which each young man must complete in order to become a SEAL. Admiral Smith will discuss the sophistication and subtleties of the training which are often overlooked in documentaries and books. He will emphasize the emotional and mental demands they place upon each student which cannot be measured by the size of one's bicep!
Rear Admiral Ray Smith is widely regarded as one of the Navy’s most inspiration leaders. A Navy SEAL for 31 years, Admiral Smith achieved extraordinary success through focused, participatory leadership. During his four-year tenure as Commander of the 2300-men SEAL force, he raised personnel retention to a level three times the Navy average. As a Navy Captain, Admiral smith led the Navy SEALs in Operation Desert Storm, conducting over 200 operations of strategic significance while incurring no casualties. Earlier in his career, Admiral Smith directed Navy SEAL training, generally considered to be the most challenging military training in the world. While in this position, Admiral Smith achieved the highest graduation rate in the 50-year history of the course (55%).
Admiral Smith has been recognized in numerous publications and books, most recently in Noel Tichy’s book “The Leadership Engine,” in which he is cited, along with Jack Welch of GE, as a leader closely involved with employees at every level of his organization. Admiral Smith has also been recognized in NEWSWEEK, FORTUNE, READERS DIGEST, and on the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and CBS This Morning.
Admiral Smith was also awarded the California Distinguished Service Award while a member of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Working directly for the Council Chair, Arnold Schwarzenegger, he and his SEALs focused on inner-city youth, children with special needs, and senior citizens. The Admiral has spoken extensively on his leadership experiences and the philosophical underpinning which has supported his enormously successful career. |