Biden says U.S. is trusting Air Force grads to confront an ever-changing world

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — 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. And he hailed moves by Finland and Sweden to join NATO in the face of Russian aggression.

Mr. Biden also pointed to the service of his son, Beau Biden, recounting how prior to his death from cancer, Beau told him, “Dad, the proudest thing I’ve ever done in my life was putting on that uniform.’”

Mr. Biden addressed the graduates as the Senate in Washington scrambled to approve a House-passed bill to avert a default on U.S. debt.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, a key player in debt negotiations with Congress, was among nine senior aides who traveled with Mr. Biden to Colorado.

The president joked that they were celebrating the graduates at an altitude 7,285 feet above sea level, or “far above that of West Point or Annapolis.”

“This is a day you worked hard to reach. Think back to that first day of basic,” Mr. Biden told the graduates. “You didn’t know what the hell lied ahead. Maybe you were wondering what the hell you’d gotten yourself into.”

Mr. Biden said they met the challenge, physically and academically, and maybe “had some fun along the way.”

Air Force brass and Mr. Biden hailed the graduates for thriving during a four-year journey that was marked by COVID-19 upheaval.

They also praised the large crowd of parents and siblings who watched from the stands as the pomp and circumstance unfolded on a gridiron field in the Air Force stadium. At one point, Mr. Biden instructed the graduates to stand up and give their families a round of applause.

Mr. Biden was greeted at the ceremony by Frank Kendall, the secretary of the Air Force, and General Charles Q. Brown, Jr, the chief of staff of the Air Force. Mr. Biden nominated General Brown last week to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“Stand up, general,” Mr. Biden said to applause. “General, our country thanks you.”

Gen. Brandon Saltzman, chief of staff of the Space Force, also greeted the president.

Former President Donald Trump, who is running for president again, launched the Space Force in 2019 as the U.S. eyes the militarization of space by China, North Korea and other adversaries.

The Air Force said Wednesday it will base four of its Space Force missions in Colorado Springs, fueling a charged debate over where to house the permanent headquarters for the U.S. Space Command.

The Air Force prefers the Colorado location but Mr. Trump, during his final days in the White House, said the project should be housed in Alabama.

Adding intrigue, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has been holding up Pentagon promotions over a Department of Defense policy that reimburses female service members who travel out of state for an abortion.