President Joe Biden heralded the next generation of Air Force and Space Force officers Thursday morning with a commencement speech warning of the challenges they face and the responsibility that now rests on their shoulders.
Biden spoke for about 30 minutes at the Air Force Academy graduation before donning a blue Air Force cap and congratulating the nearly 1,000 graduates as they crossed the stage for their diplomas.
“As you leave these mountains, where the air is rare, you’ll take with you the confidence that your years here have prepared you for whatever is ahead,” Biden said. “After all, your time at this proud institution is defined by so much history, so much tradition, and marked by significant change.”
Biden’s speech at the Academy also rang out as the future of Space Command, housed in Colorado Springs for at least the time being, hangs in the air. Former President Donald Trump picked Alabama for the new military branch’s home in the waning days of his presidency, setting off a race between the states for the headquarters. Biden did not address that issue during the commencement.
He, like the academy and military leaders who preceded him in speaking, noted how the graduating class saw their journey disrupted by the pandemic — even if the sudden switch to video classes included the perk of “COVID-casual” uniforms, as Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, the academy’s superintendent, joked.
Biden praised the classes’ diversity. Of the 921 graduates, 29% are women and 31% are minorities, making it one of the most diverse graduating classes of any of the service academies, he said. Three of the Thunderbird pilots who would fly over the class in the celebration are women, Biden noted.
“That’s why we’re strong,” Biden said. “That’s why we’re who we are.”
Biden noted the challenges that await the newly commissioned officers, most of whom have assignments with the Air Force and Space Force. Those include competition with China, supporting Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia and those posed by natural disasters and instability from climate change. They also enter a changing world, with new technology that includes artificial intelligence and 3D printing disrupting the old ways of thinking.
Toward the end of the ceremony, Biden tripped and fell while walking across the stage. An Air Force officer and two members of the U.S. Secret Service helped the 80-year-old president to his feet while onlookers – including members of the official delegation on stage – looked over in concern before Biden returned to his seat. Biden was fine and had stumbled on a sandbag on stage, according to the White House.
Biden is the ninth sitting president to deliver the commencement address to the academy since its first graduating class in 1959. It was Biden’s third time giving the commencement at the Air Force Academy, having done so twice as vice president.
This time, Biden’s speech came as the future of the U.S. Space Force headquarters hangs in the air. On Wednesday, as Biden headed to Colorado Springs, the Air Force announced it would permanently base four more Space Force missions there. More than 20 of the military’s space missions are now based in Colorado Springs, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. Space Force and Air Force are separate branches of the military, but both are under the Department of the Air Force. The Air Force Academy graduates Space Force Guardians alongside Air Force officers. Of the 510 graduates with service assignments, 93 will enter the Space Force.
In a joint statement ahead of the speech, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper underscored the role Colorado Springs already plays in Space Force operations and the broader military and defense industry.
“Our state is the nexus of America’s defense and space missions and boasts a highly-skilled civilian workforce, a robust defense industry, and several world-class universities,” the senators, both Democrats, said. “As President Biden and his administration near a final basing decision for Space Command, we urge them to restore the integrity of this process and make a decision in the interest of our national security — to keep Space Command in Colorado Springs.”
Colorado Springs Congressman Doug Lamborn, a Republican, called the decision to permanently base more districts there proof that it is “the premier location for our nation’s space defense operations.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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