Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told newly commissioned officers at the U.S. Naval Academy on Friday that they are ready to 'defend our democracy with honor, courage and commitment.'
He told the graduating class that their leadership will be at the center of American efforts for a more peaceful future.
“Our competitors openly challenge that vision,” he said. “They want to replace the hard-won postwar system of rules and rights with a lawless world of autocracy and aggression. But the American flag atop a U.S. Navy ship has long been the symbol of hope for a more free and secure world.” The secretary noted that the class rose to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic in their first year at the academy.
“It separated you from your classmates as you were just starting to feel like a family, but you hung in there,” Austin said. “You took care of each other.” The class included 751 men and 267 women. There were 744 graduates who were commissioned as Navy ensigns, including 539 men and 205 women. There were 257 commissioned as 2nd lieutenants in the Marine Corps, including 198 men and 59 women. The newly commissioned officers will serve at least five years.
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