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President Biden told Air Force graduates Thursday they must confront a rapidly changing world marked by adversaries in Moscow, competitors in Beijing and artificial intelligence that could one day “overtake” human capabilities.
Mr. Biden said the American people are counting on the new servicemen and women to navigate these challenges on their behalf.
“We’re seeing proliferating global challenges, from Russia’s aggression and brutality in Europe. Or competition with China, and a whole hell of a lot in between,” Mr. Biden said at a commencement ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy. “The world is gonna get more confusing.”
Mr. Biden said the graduates’ moral clarity and capabilities must “never waver.”
“The nation needs you, genuinely needs you,” Mr. Biden said. “The decisions we make today are going to determine what the world looks like decades from now.”
The president repeatedly characterized U.S. fighting forces as having a unique responsibility, pointing to America’s outsized commitment to Ukraine as it repels Russian invaders.
“No other nation in the world, the whole world, has the enabling capacity we do,” Mr. Biden said. “The American people’s support for Ukraine will not waver. We always stand up for democracy, always.”
The president, who recently kicked off his 2024 campaign for reelection, took credit for strides in enhancing defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific through greater cooperation with Japan, South Korea, Australia and India.
