1 00:00:00,550 --> 00:00:03,140 Good morning , class of 2025 . 2 00:00:05,550 --> 00:00:07,772 I was actually fortunate enough to meet 3 00:00:07,772 --> 00:00:10,020 Psycho when I was a senior lieutenant 4 00:00:10,020 --> 00:00:12,187 young captain . It was right after the 5 00:00:12,187 --> 00:00:14,449 Gulf War , and he's going around , um , 6 00:00:14,579 --> 00:00:17,440 talking and briefing various units on 7 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,260 his experience . He made a fantastic 8 00:00:20,260 --> 00:00:24,209 selection . He was a great officer . Um , 9 00:00:24,309 --> 00:00:26,476 again , love the enthusiasm . Great to 10 00:00:26,476 --> 00:00:28,899 be here . Um , 2 hours maybe in a 11 00:00:28,899 --> 00:00:31,350 Thunderbird pass . We'll see what the 12 00:00:31,350 --> 00:00:33,628 weather looks like going forward , but , 13 00:00:33,628 --> 00:00:35,628 uh , I'm hopeful . I got my fingers 14 00:00:35,628 --> 00:00:37,683 crossed . I wanna start out a little 15 00:00:37,683 --> 00:00:39,628 bit non-standard . I'm , I'm gonna 16 00:00:39,630 --> 00:00:41,797 reference a number of cadets as I walk 17 00:00:41,797 --> 00:00:44,019 through here , but I did want to , uh , 18 00:00:44,019 --> 00:00:46,419 give a shout out to a third class cadet , 19 00:00:46,430 --> 00:00:48,779 uh , that I know very , very well , uh , 20 00:00:48,830 --> 00:00:51,720 cadet Gabriel Ralston . Um , I coached 21 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,200 Gabriel and his two brothers for about 22 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,860 5 or 6 years in competitive robotics . 23 00:00:57,319 --> 00:00:59,689 Um , it quickly became apparent to me 24 00:00:59,689 --> 00:01:01,800 that he was the sharpest of the three 25 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:03,689 brothers , even though he was the 26 00:01:03,689 --> 00:01:05,745 youngest . Uh , the other two had to 27 00:01:05,745 --> 00:01:07,467 settle for the Naval Academy . 28 00:01:10,260 --> 00:01:12,316 So 2 weeks into the job and I expect 29 00:01:12,316 --> 00:01:14,538 I'll have to be apologizing to a couple 30 00:01:14,538 --> 00:01:16,760 of Navy leaders when I get back to DC , 31 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:18,871 uh , on Friday , but , uh , uh , just 32 00:01:18,871 --> 00:01:21,093 kidding , we love our our our uh sister 33 00:01:21,093 --> 00:01:24,580 services . So General Alvin and Mrs . 34 00:01:24,620 --> 00:01:26,959 Alvin , uh , General Saltzman and Mrs . 35 00:01:27,099 --> 00:01:29,660 Saltzman and General Boine , thank you 36 00:01:29,660 --> 00:01:31,882 and Mrs . Bornine , thank you for the , 37 00:01:31,882 --> 00:01:33,993 uh , thank you for the introduction . 38 00:01:33,993 --> 00:01:36,216 And thank you for all the distinguished 39 00:01:36,216 --> 00:01:38,382 guests and everybody who has made this 40 00:01:38,382 --> 00:01:40,327 day possible for the cadets . It's 41 00:01:40,327 --> 00:01:42,382 obviously it's a day that the cadets 42 00:01:42,382 --> 00:01:44,549 are gonna remember uh for their entire 43 00:01:44,549 --> 00:01:46,660 lives . I'd also take a little bit of 44 00:01:46,660 --> 00:01:48,438 time to thank the , the support 45 00:01:48,438 --> 00:01:50,438 infrastructure for all the class of 46 00:01:50,438 --> 00:01:54,370 2025 . To all the friends , 47 00:01:54,580 --> 00:01:58,419 family , mentors , sponsors , uh , who , 48 00:01:58,620 --> 00:02:01,059 who rightly have made significant 49 00:02:01,059 --> 00:02:03,226 sacrifices to help the cadets get into 50 00:02:03,226 --> 00:02:05,448 the academy , get through the academy , 51 00:02:05,448 --> 00:02:07,281 help them with all the decisions 52 00:02:07,281 --> 00:02:09,615 they've made throughout their time here , 53 00:02:09,615 --> 00:02:09,460 uh , where they're gonna go , what 54 00:02:09,460 --> 00:02:11,460 field they want to lead into , uh , 55 00:02:11,460 --> 00:02:13,860 it's great , uh , people would , would 56 00:02:13,860 --> 00:02:15,971 never get through these sorts of hard 57 00:02:15,971 --> 00:02:18,027 courses without that support , and I 58 00:02:18,027 --> 00:02:19,860 want to thank you all for that . 59 00:02:19,860 --> 00:02:22,138 Unfortunately it's not going to change . 60 00:02:22,138 --> 00:02:24,138 Uh , that support infrastructure is 61 00:02:24,138 --> 00:02:26,471 going to be required going forward . Uh , 62 00:02:26,471 --> 00:02:28,582 although I was uh active duty officer 63 00:02:28,582 --> 00:02:30,693 for 5 years , I was a spouse for over 64 00:02:30,693 --> 00:02:32,693 20 years . My wife is a retired Air 65 00:02:32,693 --> 00:02:34,804 Force officer , and although we loved 66 00:02:34,804 --> 00:02:36,916 our experience , uh , pretty much all 67 00:02:36,916 --> 00:02:39,082 of it , but we love pretty much all of 68 00:02:39,082 --> 00:02:41,138 our experience , uh , things are not 69 00:02:41,138 --> 00:02:42,971 gonna get easier . Uh , although 70 00:02:42,971 --> 00:02:44,860 there's a lot of work here at the 71 00:02:44,860 --> 00:02:44,649 academy getting through the academy , 72 00:02:44,690 --> 00:02:46,912 you should be extremely proud of that . 73 00:02:46,912 --> 00:02:49,350 The pressure , the pace is gonna 74 00:02:49,350 --> 00:02:51,410 continue to improve or continue to 75 00:02:51,410 --> 00:02:54,970 increase as you train , deploy , and 76 00:02:54,970 --> 00:02:57,026 fight in the operational Air Force , 77 00:02:57,050 --> 00:02:58,994 and that support infrastructure is 78 00:02:58,994 --> 00:03:01,161 gonna be just as important today as it 79 00:03:01,161 --> 00:03:03,217 is going forward as it is today . So 80 00:03:03,217 --> 00:03:05,328 thank you very much for everybody and 81 00:03:05,328 --> 00:03:07,328 all their support . So , to classes 82 00:03:07,328 --> 00:03:08,059 2026 . 83 00:03:12,259 --> 00:03:14,500 slow on their response 2027 . 84 00:03:17,559 --> 00:03:18,699 Uh , 2028 . 85 00:03:21,649 --> 00:03:22,760 Well there you go . 86 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:27,942 Uh , Remember that , uh , they had more 87 00:03:27,942 --> 00:03:29,609 warning than the 2026 class . 88 00:03:32,740 --> 00:03:34,962 Uh , remember that everything you do in 89 00:03:34,962 --> 00:03:36,899 your remaining time as a cadet is 90 00:03:36,899 --> 00:03:39,010 pointing you to this graduation day , 91 00:03:39,010 --> 00:03:41,066 the time when you will make your own 92 00:03:41,066 --> 00:03:43,288 impact on the mission . Good luck and I 93 00:03:43,288 --> 00:03:45,455 look forward to being here , uh , when 94 00:03:45,455 --> 00:03:47,677 you get when you graduate over the next 95 00:03:47,677 --> 00:03:50,080 coming years . Now back to class of 96 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:51,029 2025 . 97 00:03:53,949 --> 00:03:57,009 They're winning so far . Today is a 98 00:03:57,009 --> 00:03:59,287 culmination of four years of hard work . 99 00:03:59,289 --> 00:04:01,289 Your journey started with a clap of 100 00:04:01,289 --> 00:04:05,270 thunder on 2024 on June 2021 . Uh , 101 00:04:05,339 --> 00:04:07,561 I'm not hearing any thunder , but we're 102 00:04:07,561 --> 00:04:09,728 getting a little bit of rain , I think 103 00:04:09,728 --> 00:04:11,728 like you got in the middle , in the 104 00:04:11,728 --> 00:04:13,617 middle of processing in the storm 105 00:04:13,617 --> 00:04:15,395 standing under the footsteps of 106 00:04:15,395 --> 00:04:17,283 Vanderberg Tower . You kept going 107 00:04:17,283 --> 00:04:19,339 despite all the adversities we could 108 00:04:19,339 --> 00:04:21,450 think to throw at you . You gave , we 109 00:04:21,450 --> 00:04:23,649 gave you a motto . Never quit , never 110 00:04:23,649 --> 00:04:26,130 settle , and you haven't quit and you 111 00:04:26,130 --> 00:04:28,450 haven't settled . That persistent got 112 00:04:28,450 --> 00:04:30,339 you to this point through all the 113 00:04:30,339 --> 00:04:32,769 challenges you faced . You've overcome 114 00:04:32,769 --> 00:04:35,329 athletic rigors as the superintendent 115 00:04:35,329 --> 00:04:38,190 pointed out . The 2 in 1 win ratio over 116 00:04:38,190 --> 00:04:40,179 the other services , I , I'm sure 117 00:04:40,179 --> 00:04:42,235 you're appreciating it now , but you 118 00:04:42,235 --> 00:04:44,401 will , you will continue to appreciate 119 00:04:44,401 --> 00:04:46,623 that throughout your career . That is , 120 00:04:46,623 --> 00:04:48,846 that is a battle that never ends . That 121 00:04:48,846 --> 00:04:50,957 is a discussion that never ends after 122 00:04:50,957 --> 00:04:53,068 25-30 years , you'll still be talking 123 00:04:53,068 --> 00:04:55,750 about that gymnast Patrick Hoops won 124 00:04:55,750 --> 00:04:57,917 back to back national championships in 125 00:04:57,917 --> 00:05:01,500 the polo horse . Scott 126 00:05:01,500 --> 00:05:03,700 Rocket won Division One title with an 127 00:05:03,700 --> 00:05:04,450 air rifle . 128 00:05:07,559 --> 00:05:09,670 That that's got to be one of the best 129 00:05:09,670 --> 00:05:12,000 names I've , I've ever heard , uh , 130 00:05:12,010 --> 00:05:14,320 Rocket . Uh , many of you competed in 131 00:05:14,329 --> 00:05:16,440 in world sports throughout the wild 132 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:18,662 weather , Colorado could throw at you . 133 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:21,382 You also overcame academic trials . You 134 00:05:21,382 --> 00:05:24,040 not only passed Chemistry 100 and Astro 135 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:26,899 310 , but some of you went far beyond . 136 00:05:27,540 --> 00:05:29,484 You secured patents for autonomous 137 00:05:29,484 --> 00:05:31,920 robotic systems . You tested hypersonic 138 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:34,142 vehicles , and you launched payloads to 139 00:05:34,142 --> 00:05:36,142 the International Space Station . I 140 00:05:36,142 --> 00:05:38,253 think the superintendent told me this 141 00:05:38,253 --> 00:05:38,200 morning that over the last 6 years 142 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,200 there was 36 patents awarded to the 143 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:41,839 Academy cadets . That's just 144 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:42,839 unbelievable . 145 00:05:48,940 --> 00:05:50,996 And some of you are continuing on to 146 00:05:50,996 --> 00:05:53,051 graduate school , including Margaret 147 00:05:53,051 --> 00:05:55,010 Mayhem who won and was awarded the 148 00:05:55,010 --> 00:05:58,799 Marshall scholarship . Others 149 00:05:59,130 --> 00:06:01,480 others are headed off to programs at 150 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:05,350 MIT and other institutions . Like a 151 00:06:05,350 --> 00:06:07,890 young lieutenant , uh , that I knew , 152 00:06:08,070 --> 00:06:11,109 1998 graduate of the academy , uh , 153 00:06:11,309 --> 00:06:13,420 colonel and now astronaut Nick Haig , 154 00:06:13,750 --> 00:06:16,109 who worked for me about 25 years ago as 155 00:06:16,109 --> 00:06:18,529 a brand new cadet graduate out of MIT , 156 00:06:18,869 --> 00:06:20,980 uh , some of you may know him . He is 157 00:06:20,980 --> 00:06:22,813 the US astronaut that managed to 158 00:06:22,813 --> 00:06:25,269 survive a Russian rocket blowing up 159 00:06:25,269 --> 00:06:27,500 underneath of him . And then , uh , a 160 00:06:27,500 --> 00:06:29,778 couple of years later , just last year , 161 00:06:29,778 --> 00:06:31,679 was the commanded the , the , the 162 00:06:31,679 --> 00:06:33,901 launch , the , the mission that went up 163 00:06:33,901 --> 00:06:35,901 and rescued the two astronauts that 164 00:06:35,901 --> 00:06:37,846 were stranded on the International 165 00:06:37,846 --> 00:06:40,012 Space Station . So a long pedigree out 166 00:06:40,012 --> 00:06:42,179 of the academy for sure . You overcame 167 00:06:42,179 --> 00:06:44,179 military challenges , your 4 degree 168 00:06:44,179 --> 00:06:47,130 year and recognition . You stepped into 169 00:06:47,130 --> 00:06:49,186 leadership roles and made this place 170 00:06:49,186 --> 00:06:51,369 your own . Sometimes you even went a 171 00:06:51,369 --> 00:06:54,049 little too far and had to march a few 172 00:06:54,049 --> 00:06:56,730 tours . Something about Ziggy . 173 00:06:59,179 --> 00:07:01,346 I , I wanted to ask , but I was told I 174 00:07:01,346 --> 00:07:03,568 don't wanna ask and I don't wanna see . 175 00:07:04,989 --> 00:07:07,190 You overcame combat survival training 176 00:07:07,190 --> 00:07:10,510 in Pinon Cannon . Now I have to admit 177 00:07:10,510 --> 00:07:12,399 that when I went through survival 178 00:07:12,399 --> 00:07:14,232 training , that was not the most 179 00:07:14,232 --> 00:07:16,121 enjoyable time in my , uh , early 180 00:07:16,121 --> 00:07:18,570 career , uh , but it teaches you a lot . 181 00:07:18,950 --> 00:07:21,172 The important thing to remember is that 182 00:07:21,172 --> 00:07:23,228 there is nothing your class couldn't 183 00:07:23,228 --> 00:07:25,829 overcome in class of 2025 . 184 00:07:28,970 --> 00:07:32,779 It's exactly that tenacity we need . We 185 00:07:32,779 --> 00:07:36,350 need you . We need you because the Air 186 00:07:36,350 --> 00:07:38,700 Force and Space Force that you're about 187 00:07:38,700 --> 00:07:41,660 to join are not the same services that 188 00:07:41,660 --> 00:07:44,980 I , your instructors , AOCs , and 189 00:07:44,980 --> 00:07:47,420 coaches joined . You are joining the 190 00:07:47,420 --> 00:07:49,142 department of the Air Force in 191 00:07:49,142 --> 00:07:52,640 transition . For the past 25 192 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,420 years we've been focused . For the past 193 00:07:56,420 --> 00:07:57,950 25 years we have been . 194 00:08:01,980 --> 00:08:05,829 Passport All right , I get it . 195 00:08:07,630 --> 00:08:10,000 It took me a second . That was not on 196 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,459 purpose on my part . For the past 25 197 00:08:13,459 --> 00:08:17,450 years . We've been 198 00:08:17,450 --> 00:08:20,059 focused on low intensity conflict in 199 00:08:20,059 --> 00:08:23,350 the Middle East . But no longer . Uh , 200 00:08:23,399 --> 00:08:25,440 this administration has made its 201 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,589 national security focus crystal clear . 202 00:08:28,950 --> 00:08:32,380 #1 , defend the homeland . #2 , 203 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:36,068 deter China in the Indo-Pacific . Class 204 00:08:36,068 --> 00:08:39,900 of 2025 . That one was 205 00:08:39,900 --> 00:08:42,570 on purpose . The Indo-Pacific will be 206 00:08:42,570 --> 00:08:44,737 your generation's fight , and you will 207 00:08:44,737 --> 00:08:46,959 deliver the most lethal force that this 208 00:08:46,959 --> 00:08:49,309 nation has ever existed , or we will 209 00:08:49,309 --> 00:08:51,919 not succeed . The character of war is 210 00:08:51,919 --> 00:08:54,590 changing today more rapidly than ever 211 00:08:54,590 --> 00:08:57,440 before . You can clearly see not only 212 00:08:57,440 --> 00:08:59,770 in the Ukraine skies , but in the skies 213 00:08:59,770 --> 00:09:03,080 over Israel and the Red Sea . 30 years 214 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:05,400 ago when I was a 2nd lieutenant , only 215 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,456 a handful of nations could precisely 216 00:09:07,456 --> 00:09:09,678 strike targets hundreds of miles away . 217 00:09:10,599 --> 00:09:13,200 Today , even a group of Yemen rebels 218 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,559 can employ anti-ballistic missiles at 219 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,789 range . To meet this new reality , we 220 00:09:18,789 --> 00:09:20,956 must rebuild our military , and we are 221 00:09:20,956 --> 00:09:22,733 now in the midst of the largest 222 00:09:22,733 --> 00:09:24,845 modernization in our history . We are 223 00:09:24,845 --> 00:09:27,067 developing and procuring new systems in 224 00:09:27,067 --> 00:09:29,190 nearly every mission area in both the 225 00:09:29,190 --> 00:09:31,429 Air Force and the Space Force , and in 226 00:09:31,429 --> 00:09:33,780 some cases we are creating new missions 227 00:09:33,780 --> 00:09:36,429 that weren't even thought about 5 or 4 228 00:09:36,429 --> 00:09:38,707 years ago when you entered the academy . 229 00:09:39,309 --> 00:09:41,476 We are treating space like a contested 230 00:09:41,476 --> 00:09:43,531 environment , it is . We're building 231 00:09:43,531 --> 00:09:45,642 the most lethal airborne platforms in 232 00:09:45,642 --> 00:09:47,587 history . We are building low-cost 233 00:09:47,587 --> 00:09:49,642 drones , and we are building sensors 234 00:09:49,642 --> 00:09:51,753 and battle networks to stretch it all 235 00:09:51,753 --> 00:09:54,309 together . We are training to , we are 236 00:09:54,309 --> 00:09:56,309 also training in this environment . 237 00:09:56,340 --> 00:09:58,830 Next month we will have the largest 238 00:09:58,830 --> 00:10:01,190 exercise since the Cold War , and that 239 00:10:01,190 --> 00:10:03,357 exercise will be in the Indo-Pacific . 240 00:10:04,049 --> 00:10:06,160 Why are we gonna do that ? We focused 241 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:08,160 on the Indo-Pacific because it is a 242 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:10,160 threat unlike anything we have ever 243 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,000 faced . This is not late stage Cold War 244 00:10:13,489 --> 00:10:15,656 where we had a decisive advantage over 245 00:10:15,656 --> 00:10:18,200 the Soviets . That's what I came into . 246 00:10:18,650 --> 00:10:20,817 This is not the unipolar moment in the 247 00:10:20,817 --> 00:10:23,409 1990s when the Americans stood 248 00:10:23,409 --> 00:10:25,849 unchallenged . This is not the global 249 00:10:25,849 --> 00:10:29,520 war on terror and the 2000 and 2010s 250 00:10:29,809 --> 00:10:32,039 where we enjoyed freedom of the skies . 251 00:10:32,719 --> 00:10:34,960 Today's competition with China is wide 252 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:38,119 ranging and it is unpredictable . There 253 00:10:38,119 --> 00:10:40,380 will be no sanctuaries , and many of 254 00:10:40,380 --> 00:10:42,380 our assumptions about air and space 255 00:10:42,380 --> 00:10:44,520 power will change . If we continue to 256 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,000 operate as we have in the past , we 257 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,859 will fail in the future . And we cannot 258 00:10:49,859 --> 00:10:52,849 afford to fail . We must be ready at 259 00:10:52,849 --> 00:10:56,359 all times . Every minute of every day , 260 00:10:56,369 --> 00:10:58,590 airmen stand watch and missile launch 261 00:10:58,590 --> 00:11:01,280 control centers . Guardians stand watch 262 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,130 on satellite control centers , pilots 263 00:11:04,130 --> 00:11:07,090 stand watch , and alert facilities . We 264 00:11:07,090 --> 00:11:09,257 stand watch because the defense of the 265 00:11:09,257 --> 00:11:12,070 homeland is a no fail mission . It is 266 00:11:12,070 --> 00:11:14,590 Air Force F-22s that still intercept 267 00:11:14,590 --> 00:11:17,349 Russian bombers in the North Arctic , a 268 00:11:17,349 --> 00:11:19,238 mission that we've been doing for 269 00:11:19,238 --> 00:11:21,127 decades . It is the space force's 270 00:11:21,127 --> 00:11:23,238 sensors that detect incoming missiles 271 00:11:23,238 --> 00:11:25,809 or other threats in space . And this 272 00:11:25,809 --> 00:11:28,200 mission is only getting more important . 273 00:11:28,489 --> 00:11:31,039 That is why we are at the forefront of 274 00:11:31,039 --> 00:11:33,206 designing and building the president's 275 00:11:33,206 --> 00:11:35,809 Golden Dome for America initiative with 276 00:11:35,809 --> 00:11:38,210 a guardian , General Gutwein , in the 277 00:11:38,210 --> 00:11:41,219 lead . And if our nation should call , 278 00:11:41,549 --> 00:11:43,605 we are ready at a moment's notice to 279 00:11:43,605 --> 00:11:46,409 deploy , to fight and to win anytime , 280 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:49,630 anywhere with the most advanced systems 281 00:11:49,630 --> 00:11:52,239 on the planet . We have a long legacy 282 00:11:52,239 --> 00:11:54,919 of being the first to fight . America's 283 00:11:54,919 --> 00:11:57,030 offensive response to the bombings at 284 00:11:57,030 --> 00:12:00,030 Pearl Harbor was the Doolittle raid 30 285 00:12:00,030 --> 00:12:02,197 seconds over Tokyo . It's actually the 286 00:12:02,197 --> 00:12:03,974 first book I remember reading . 287 00:12:04,330 --> 00:12:06,450 American bombers were our first force 288 00:12:06,450 --> 00:12:08,561 to respond to North Korea invasion in 289 00:12:08,561 --> 00:12:11,700 the South in the 1950s . In Afghanistan , 290 00:12:12,049 --> 00:12:15,090 air power was on hand from day one 291 00:12:15,090 --> 00:12:17,257 supporting special operations in their 292 00:12:17,257 --> 00:12:19,570 march to Kabul . No matter what the 293 00:12:19,570 --> 00:12:21,792 conflict of the future looks like , air 294 00:12:21,792 --> 00:12:24,169 power and space power will be at its 295 00:12:24,169 --> 00:12:26,369 leading edge , and you must be ready 296 00:12:26,369 --> 00:12:30,090 for it at all times . Class of 2025 . 297 00:12:33,159 --> 00:12:35,381 You may not see it now , but there is a 298 00:12:35,381 --> 00:12:37,603 reason why we put you through the paces 299 00:12:37,603 --> 00:12:40,599 these last 4 years . There is a reason 300 00:12:40,789 --> 00:12:43,369 why the academy is as hard as you have 301 00:12:43,369 --> 00:12:45,770 seen it to be . As you look back at 302 00:12:45,770 --> 00:12:47,937 your time here , you will see how well 303 00:12:47,937 --> 00:12:50,048 it prepared you for what it will take 304 00:12:50,048 --> 00:12:52,609 in the future , how well it has forged 305 00:12:52,609 --> 00:12:55,409 you into leaders of character that we 306 00:12:55,409 --> 00:12:57,539 need our Air Force and space force . 307 00:12:58,140 --> 00:13:00,196 Everything you've been through these 308 00:13:00,196 --> 00:13:02,473 past 4 years has been for this purpose . 309 00:13:02,909 --> 00:13:04,798 There is a reason why you receive 310 00:13:04,798 --> 00:13:06,909 bachelor's degrees of science because 311 00:13:06,909 --> 00:13:08,742 the systems we are acquiring and 312 00:13:08,742 --> 00:13:10,965 operating are some of the most advanced 313 00:13:10,965 --> 00:13:13,242 and sophisticated systems in the world . 314 00:13:13,242 --> 00:13:15,409 The cornerstone of our force lethality 315 00:13:15,409 --> 00:13:17,576 will be your skill set and knowledge . 316 00:13:18,179 --> 00:13:20,123 I understand about half of you are 317 00:13:20,123 --> 00:13:22,690 going on to be rated careers . Your 318 00:13:22,690 --> 00:13:25,570 ability to effectively employ the 319 00:13:25,570 --> 00:13:27,459 systems we have today and the new 320 00:13:27,459 --> 00:13:30,289 systems we are delivering will be the 321 00:13:30,289 --> 00:13:32,289 decisive advantage we have over our 322 00:13:32,289 --> 00:13:35,200 adversaries . I also understand that 323 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,256 just over 100 of you will be joining 324 00:13:37,256 --> 00:13:39,422 the Space Force . Our youngest service 325 00:13:39,422 --> 00:13:41,422 is also one of the most technical . 326 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:45,159 Space actually is hard . To succeed , 327 00:13:45,330 --> 00:13:47,849 we need smart , tenacious leaders 328 00:13:48,489 --> 00:13:51,210 across the forest , and I believe space 329 00:13:51,210 --> 00:13:52,877 will be one of the asymmetric 330 00:13:52,877 --> 00:13:54,880 advantages the US has over our 331 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,409 adversaries . Others will become 332 00:13:57,409 --> 00:14:00,460 missiles , maintainers , logisticians , 333 00:14:00,859 --> 00:14:03,210 cyber defenders , engineers , acquires , 334 00:14:03,349 --> 00:14:06,520 analysts , all those are needed to make 335 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:08,464 this great machine of an air force 336 00:14:08,464 --> 00:14:11,369 operate . No matter your job , we will 337 00:14:11,369 --> 00:14:13,647 find what you've learned here critical . 338 00:14:14,049 --> 00:14:16,650 Data is now ubiquitous . Robotic 339 00:14:16,650 --> 00:14:19,760 systems are increasingly capable . AI 340 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:22,549 is more than just a buzzword . Our 341 00:14:22,549 --> 00:14:24,716 services were born of technology , and 342 00:14:24,716 --> 00:14:26,827 I commit to you that we will put what 343 00:14:26,827 --> 00:14:28,993 you've learned here to use . There are 344 00:14:28,993 --> 00:14:30,993 no shortages of problems for you to 345 00:14:30,993 --> 00:14:33,830 solve . I spent quite a bit of time in 346 00:14:33,830 --> 00:14:36,109 the Pentagon , maybe more time than I 347 00:14:36,109 --> 00:14:38,429 would have liked in the Pentagon . It 348 00:14:38,429 --> 00:14:40,669 is a place where critical decisions are 349 00:14:40,669 --> 00:14:42,780 made , but the Pentagon doesn't fight 350 00:14:42,780 --> 00:14:45,869 wars . Young officers , lieutenants , 351 00:14:46,070 --> 00:14:48,950 captains fight wars . Lieutenants like 352 00:14:48,950 --> 00:14:52,590 you in about 2 hours have the drive , 353 00:14:52,669 --> 00:14:55,869 the skill , the fearlessness to try new 354 00:14:55,869 --> 00:14:57,919 things . Lieutenants can innovate . 355 00:14:58,030 --> 00:15:00,252 Lieutenants need to innovate . They can 356 00:15:00,252 --> 00:15:02,289 solve problems and they can win 357 00:15:02,619 --> 00:15:05,219 tomorrow's war . Lieutenants like Chris 358 00:15:05,219 --> 00:15:07,386 Pritchard , who deployed to the Middle 359 00:15:07,386 --> 00:15:09,739 East last year shortly after arriving 360 00:15:10,020 --> 00:15:12,419 at his first operational squadron , on 361 00:15:12,419 --> 00:15:15,419 his first combat mission , he dropped 4 362 00:15:15,419 --> 00:15:17,859 GPS guided bombs as part of a complex 363 00:15:17,859 --> 00:15:20,099 strike package . Later in the same 364 00:15:20,099 --> 00:15:22,043 deployment , he shot down a Houthi 365 00:15:22,043 --> 00:15:24,250 drone over the Red Sea . Despite the 366 00:15:24,250 --> 00:15:26,979 dynamic circumstances , he executed 367 00:15:26,979 --> 00:15:29,109 exactly as he and thousands of young 368 00:15:29,109 --> 00:15:31,780 aviators had been trained to do to 369 00:15:31,780 --> 00:15:34,880 accomplish the mission . Captains like 370 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,919 Jonathan Novak , who was a key engineer 371 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:40,750 on a multi-billion dollar orbital 372 00:15:41,679 --> 00:15:45,590 program . He is not only wrote an 373 00:15:45,590 --> 00:15:47,757 award winning thesis while getting his 374 00:15:47,757 --> 00:15:49,940 master's at MIT but then directly 375 00:15:49,940 --> 00:15:51,996 applied that knowledge into building 376 00:15:51,996 --> 00:15:54,380 the coursework for orbital warfare and 377 00:15:54,380 --> 00:15:57,250 engineers to follow . Lieutenants like 378 00:15:57,250 --> 00:16:00,880 Mayor Cage who commanded flight . And 379 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:02,991 manages the global supply of hundreds 380 00:16:02,991 --> 00:16:05,440 of different spare parts for our B-52 381 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:08,919 fleet . Readiness is a challenge . 382 00:16:09,609 --> 00:16:11,750 People like that are critical to make 383 00:16:11,750 --> 00:16:13,869 sure that our forces have what they 384 00:16:13,869 --> 00:16:16,340 need to fight . Captains like Nick 385 00:16:16,340 --> 00:16:18,900 Forrest , who was asked to serve at the 386 00:16:18,900 --> 00:16:20,956 National Reconnaissance where I most 387 00:16:20,956 --> 00:16:24,130 recently worked a couple weeks ago , uh , 388 00:16:24,219 --> 00:16:26,052 he is one of the dozens of young 389 00:16:26,052 --> 00:16:28,163 officers that we have deployed around 390 00:16:28,163 --> 00:16:30,340 the world to bring data science to the 391 00:16:30,340 --> 00:16:32,562 fight . He is currently embedded in the 392 00:16:32,562 --> 00:16:34,900 White House Situation Room , building 393 00:16:34,900 --> 00:16:36,733 models and bringing intelligence 394 00:16:36,733 --> 00:16:38,900 products to the most senior leadership 395 00:16:38,900 --> 00:16:40,609 in our government . In fact , 396 00:16:40,770 --> 00:16:42,826 throughout its history , some of the 397 00:16:42,826 --> 00:16:44,992 Air Force's proudest achievements have 398 00:16:44,992 --> 00:16:46,937 been accomplished by lieutenants , 399 00:16:46,937 --> 00:16:49,159 young people who make their dreams into 400 00:16:49,159 --> 00:16:51,320 reality despite the challenges . John 401 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,739 Boyd , legendary fighter pilot and 402 00:16:53,739 --> 00:16:56,049 father of the F-16 , formulated most of 403 00:16:56,049 --> 00:16:58,210 his ideas about advanced fighter . 404 00:16:59,390 --> 00:17:01,820 combat tactics while in Korea as a 405 00:17:01,820 --> 00:17:05,089 lieutenant . Ira Bo , America's ace , 406 00:17:05,380 --> 00:17:07,969 who eventually scored 40 aerial 407 00:17:07,969 --> 00:17:10,699 victories during World War II , first 408 00:17:10,699 --> 00:17:13,668 became an ace as a lieutenant . In fact , 409 00:17:13,918 --> 00:17:15,918 Hap Arnold , the father of the Air 410 00:17:15,918 --> 00:17:18,119 Force , was a 2nd lieutenant when he 411 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:20,159 talked his way in to the Wright 412 00:17:20,159 --> 00:17:22,437 brothers' aeronautical training course . 413 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:25,989 Undeterred by advice that he should not 414 00:17:26,380 --> 00:17:29,750 join the aviation duty community only 415 00:17:29,750 --> 00:17:32,028 because if he wished to commit suicide . 416 00:17:32,930 --> 00:17:35,829 He became the US's military first pilot 417 00:17:36,150 --> 00:17:38,317 and laid the groundwork for everything 418 00:17:38,317 --> 00:17:41,160 you see here today . Innovation and 419 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:43,640 initiative is in our DNA . The young 420 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:46,199 people like like yourselves are the 421 00:17:46,199 --> 00:17:48,550 sources of many of our proudest 422 00:17:48,550 --> 00:17:49,550 achievements . 423 00:17:51,489 --> 00:17:54,959 Congratulations class of 2025 . 424 00:17:57,459 --> 00:17:59,729 Welcome to the Air Force and the Space 425 00:17:59,729 --> 00:18:02,839 Force . We are counting on you .