Wlliam Ball Sworn In as New Navy Secretary
WASHINGTON — William L. Ball III was sworn in Wednesday as the nation’s 67th secretary of the Navy, pledging to keep his forces “strong and prepared” to meet any challenge.
Standing in an ornate Old Executive Office Building room first used by Navy Secretary Richard Thompson in 1879, Ball said that by maintaining military strength, the United States will “preserve the peace and ultimately extend the special gift that is freedom the world over.”
White House Chief of Staff Howard H. Baker Jr. swore Ball in as several Cabinet officers, members of Congress and military officers looked on.
Ball, 39, succeeds James H. Webb Jr., who resigned.
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