Vice President JD Vance delivers the commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
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00:00It's also a moment of transition.
00:02In a matter of days, you will be entrusted with lives,
00:05with missions vital to our national security,
00:08and with the legacy of those who came before you.
00:11From today forward, you are more than a shipment.
00:14You are leaders in the Navy and Marine Corps,
00:17officers in a force that stands guard over freedom
00:20on every ocean, in every time zone,
00:23every hour of every day.
00:26That's no small thing.
00:28But let me be honest with you,
00:30what you're about to step into is not easy.
00:33The pace of change is accelerating.
00:35The threats are growing more sophisticated.
00:38The burden of leadership is heavier than ever,
00:41but so is the opportunity.
00:43The opportunity to shape the future of naval warfare,
00:46the opportunity to lead diverse, talented teams
00:50in ways that will define missions and even save lives,
00:54the opportunity to be exactly the kind of leader
00:56the world needs now.
00:59Smart, grounded, resilient, humble, and courageous.
01:05What will define you from this moment on
01:07is not your commission or your class rank
01:09or even your service selection.
01:12What will define you is how you lead
01:14when the pressure is on, when the plan falls apart,
01:18when lives are at stake, and when everyone around you
01:21looks to you for calm and courage.
01:24Leadership is never about you.
01:27It's about those you serve.
01:28General John Lejeune had it right
01:30when he said the relationship between officers
01:33and enlisted must be like teaching a scholar,
01:36not superior and inferior.
01:38Your people will teach you more than you expect.
01:41Respect that.
01:43Learn from them.
01:44Lead them well.
01:46You are not simply to give orders.
01:48You are to grow those under your command
01:50into something better.
01:52Instill in them the core values of honor,
01:55courage, and commitment,
01:56not just as words but through example.
02:00Now, a quick word about values.
02:03Honor, courage, and commitment.
02:05These aren't just words etched on academy walls
02:08or printed in manuscripts.
02:10They are your compass,
02:12and in a future filled with new technologies,
02:14cyber threats, and global instability,
02:17character can matter more than ever.
02:20You are inheriting a fleet that sails
02:22a world full of complexity and consequence.
02:25We face adversaries and test the rule-based order at sea.
02:30We operate in an environment where innovation moves
02:33at the speed of relevance,
02:34and we must be agile, accountable, and adaptive,
02:38because lethality is just not about firepower.
02:41It is about clarity of purpose, efficiency of action,
02:45and unity of command.
02:47Admiral Rickover, father of the nuclear navy,
02:50once said, responsibility is a unique concept.
02:53You may share it with others,
02:55but your portion is not diminished.
02:58You cannot delegate accountability.
03:00When the mission falters, your name is on the line.
03:04When it succeeds, share the credit.
03:07That is leadership.
03:09There will be days when you'll feel the weight
03:11or burden of leadership.
03:13That's natural.
03:14But on those days, remember this,
03:17you are not alone.
03:18You stand on the shoulders of those who came before you,
03:22and beside shipmates who will have your back
03:24in ways that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
03:28You are stepping into a future that will test you.
03:30But I believe, we believe, the American people believe
03:34that you are ready.
03:36Ready to innovate, ready to inspire,
03:39ready to lead in a navy and marine corps
03:41that is evolving, modernizing, and building
03:44a more lethal, adaptable, and resilient force.
03:49You are the future of that force.
03:50So take pride in what you've achieved.
03:53Take responsibility for what comes next,
03:56and take care of those you have privileged to lead.
03:59Your commission is more than a contract.
04:01It is a covenant with the American people.
04:04They trust you to defend this nation with honor,
04:07to wield power with restraint, and to lead with integrity
04:10even when no one is watching.
04:13So class of 2025, step forward with confidence,
04:16but carry within you the humility
04:18of those who came before.
04:20From the decks of destroyers to the cockpits
04:23of strike aircraft, from forward operating bases
04:26to submarines beneath the sea,
04:28you'll be the tip of the spear
04:30and the steady hand behind it.
04:32In closing, know this, your country is proud of you,
04:36not just for what you've done, for what,
04:39but for who you've chosen to become.
04:42You are not just graduates,
04:43you are defenders of the Constitution,
04:45ambassadors of liberty,
04:47and the next generation of American leaders.
04:50May God bless you, your families,
04:52and the United States of America,
04:54and your graduation is a well-deserved honor.
04:58Thank you, everybody.
05:07Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor
05:09to introduce the 50th Vice President
05:11of the United States, the Honorable J.D. Vance.
05:15Well, it is great to be with you here on this incredible day, and I gotta say, it's a pretty
05:34cool trick where people say good morning, you guys say it back in unison, so let me
05:38say good morning to the class of 2025.
05:45I want to say, first of all, thank you all for having me, and thank you especially to
05:51Vice Admiral Davids and Captain Allman for your hospitality.
05:55Thank you as well, of course, to Secretary Phelan for that great speech, Admiral Kilby
06:00and General Smith for all that you do for our country.
06:04First of all, I want to say, both for me and for President Trump, congratulations to
06:10the class of 2025.
06:22I want to say congratulations not just to you all, because you all certainly earned
06:26a great honor, but congratulations to the families, the friends, the faculty, plus the
06:32internship and service members who join us on this beautiful morning and share in this
06:37incredible day.
06:46Now, it's always dangerous to give a politician a microphone, but I know that I am one of
06:52the very last things standing between you and your mission and your diploma, and so
06:58out of respect, I just want you to know that this is only going to be a three-and-a-half
07:02to four-hour speech.
07:05I hope you all brought your sunscreen, because it's bright out here.
07:09But today is such an incredible day for you.
07:12Tonight, you'll celebrate in the finest tradition of the United States Naval Academy with great
07:18food and, of course, maybe a little drink.
07:27But I hope that as you celebrate, you remember that this is not just your day, as hard as
07:32you have worked for it.
07:34This day belongs to parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, brothers, sisters,
07:40and so many others.
07:42You, all of you, are the product of an incredible legacy.
07:47People who worked hard to give you a good education, food on the table, and a sense
07:52of possibility.
07:54People who took you to church, to practices, to tutoring sessions.
07:58People who prayed for you when you struggled and celebrated with you at moments just like
08:03today.
08:05Most of you are fortunate enough to have someone here to celebrate with you.
08:10Some of you don't.
08:12But whether they are here with you or not, the very best piece of advice I can give you
08:17is to begin your life in the fleet with a spirit of gratitude.
08:22Be thankful for all the people gathered here today and those who aren't, because they
08:28made you who you are and they got you where you are today.
08:32And I hope you'll take that gratitude and a sense of duty.
08:44You owe it to the American people, to yourselves, but most of all to the people who sacrificed
08:51so hard to get you here.
08:53You owe it to them to do the best job you can, and I know that is exactly what you're
08:58going to do.
09:00Now it's customary in speeches like this for people like me to offer words of congratulations
09:06and maybe a little bit of advice.
09:08Of course, I just did exactly that.
09:11But you're not just graduates of some random university about to embark on careers in the
09:16private sector, and I'm not just giving another political speech.
09:20I'm your Vice President, and the minute you walk off the stage with your diploma and your
09:26commission, you will be officers in the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps,
09:31and that is an incredible thing.
09:43You will be leaders of men and women in our armed forces.
09:49So while President Trump and I congratulate you on this incredible achievement, I also
09:55thought it would be appropriate to tell you a bit about how the President and I think
09:59of your mission in this new and very dangerous era for our country.
10:05Now last week, the President took a very historic trip to the Middle East, meeting with heads
10:10of state in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
10:16Most of the headlines focused on the trillions of dollars of new investment the President
10:20secured for our country, and that's, of course, an important thing.
10:24But I actually think the most significant part of that trip is that he signified the
10:30end of a decades-long approach in foreign policy that I think was a break from the precedent
10:37set by our founding fathers.
10:40We had a long experiment in our foreign policy that traded national defense and the maintenance
10:46of our alliances for nation-building and meddling in foreign countries' affairs, even when
10:54those foreign countries had very little to do with poor American interests.
10:59What we're seeing from President Trump is a generational shift in policy with profound
11:05implications for the job that each and every one of you will be asked to do.
11:10Now following the collapse of the Soviet Union, our policymakers assumed that American privacy
11:16on the world stage was guaranteed.
11:20For a brief time, we were a superpower without any peer, nor did we believe that any foreign
11:27nation could possibly rise to compete with the United States of America.
11:32And so our leaders traded hard power for soft power.
11:37We stopped making things, everything from cars to computers to the weapons of war, like
11:43the ships that guard our waters and the weapons you will use in the future.
11:49Why do we do that?
11:51Well, too many of us believed that economic integration would naturally lead to peace
11:56by making countries like the People's Republic of China more like the United States.
12:02Over time, we were told the world would converge toward a uniform set of land, secular, and
12:09universal ideals, regardless of culture or country.
12:13And those that didn't want to converge, well, our policymakers would make it their goal
12:18to force them by any means necessary.
12:21So instead of devoting our energies to responding to the rise of near-peer competitors like
12:27China, our leaders pursued what they assumed would be easy jobs for the world's preeminent
12:33superpower.
12:35How hard could it be to build a few democracies in the Middle East?
12:40Well, almost impossibly hard, it turns out, and unbelievably costly.
12:46And it wasn't our politicians who bore the consequences of such a profound miscalculation.
12:53It was the American people, to the tune of trillions of dollars.
12:57But more than anyone, it was borne by the people who were in your shoes just a few short
13:04years ago, our service members and their families.
13:08The tens of thousands of warfighters who sacrificed precious time, energy, and in some cases
13:15their very lives in the line of duty, they are the ones who bore the cost of past failure.
13:21Our leaders abandoned clearly stated strategic goals for lofty, often incoherent abstractions.
13:29This is how, for example, we wound up chasing a $230 million pier in Gaza that worked for
13:36a grand total of 20 days while injuring over 60 American service members in the construction
13:43and maintenance of that pier.
13:45Our government took its eye off the ball of great power competition and prepared to take
13:51on a peer adversary.
13:53Instead, we devoted ourselves to sprawling, amorphous tasks, like searching for new terrorists
14:01to take out while building up faraway regimes.
14:05Now I want to be clear, the Trump administration has reversed course.
14:10No more undefined missions, no more open-ended conflicts.
14:15We're turning to a strategy grounded in realism and protecting our core national interests.
14:24Now this doesn't mean that we ignore threats, but it means that we approach them with discipline
14:31and that when we send you to war, we do it with a very specific set of goals in mind.
14:37And consider how this played out in just the last major conflict we engaged in with
14:43the Houthis over in the Middle East.
14:45We went in with a clear diplomatic goal, not to invest our service members in a prolonged
14:52conflict with a non-state actor, but to secure American freedom of navigation by forcing
14:59the Houthis to stop attacking American ships.
15:03And that's exactly what we did.
15:05We pursued that goal through overwhelming force against Houthi military targets.
15:18In just the first 100 days of the administration, we were able to reach a ceasefire in a conflict
15:25that had been ongoing for nearly two years.
15:29That's how military power should be used, decisively with a clear objective.
15:36We ought to be cautious in deciding to throw a punch, but when we throw a punch, we throw
15:42a punch hard and we do it decisively, and that's exactly what we may ask you to do.
15:47Now, that shift in thinking from ideological crusades to a principled foreign policy will
16:01help restore the credibility of American deterrence in 2025 and beyond.
16:08With the Trump administration, our adversaries now know when the United States sets a red
16:13line, it will be enforced, and when we engage, we do so with purpose, with superior force,
16:20with superior weapons, and with the best people anywhere in the world.
16:25Let me say something about weapons and the future of warfare.
16:37It is of course the priority of this administration not just to keep but to widen the technological
16:42edge between the United States military and our adversaries all over the world.
16:48In the wake of the Cold War, America enjoyed a mostly unchallenged command of the commons,
16:55airspace, sea, space, and cyberspace.
17:00But the era of uncontested U.S. dominance is over.
17:05Today we face serious threats, and China, Russia, and other nations determined to beat us in every single domain.
17:13From spectrum to low earth orbit to our supply chains and even our communication infrastructure,
17:21technology has lowered the cost of disruption, and so we must be, all of us, not just smarter,
17:30we've got to make sure that we send our troops to war, we do it with the right tools.
17:39We can no longer assume our engagements will come without cost.
17:45That's why the Trump administration is investing in innovation, rewarding risk-takers at the
17:52Department of Defense, and streamlining weapons acquisition for the new century.
17:58Investing in cutting-edge weaponry like hypersonics is important, but just as important are the
18:05low-cost, high-impact technologies that are already transforming the battlefield, things like drones.
18:13And by the way, when we talk about innovation, innovation is not just happening in the laboratory
18:19of a defense contractor, innovation increasingly is happening on the very battlefields that
18:25you will lead troops on.
18:27You are not just recipients of innovation, you are not just users of tools, you will
18:32very often be developing tools in this new century.
18:36Our lawmakers and military brass alike must learn to adjust to a world where cheap drones,
18:44readily available cruise missiles, and cyberattacks cause extraordinary damage to our military
18:50assets and our service members.
18:53And it will be you, the graduates gathered here today, who will lead the way for the rest of us.
19:00Your service will bring new challenges and environments, including ones unfamiliar even
19:07to those who have served before you.
19:10You will deploy new equipment, new systems, and new technology.
19:17And through those experiences, it is you who will learn, who will teach others, and
19:23will help our services and our entire country adapt to the future we're confronting.
19:30Of the extraordinary education you receive is an investment by the American people, an
19:36investment not only in your courage, but in the strength of your minds and the promise
19:42of your leadership.
19:45Because your nation rests easier knowing that we have the most brilliant strategists and
19:51tacticians standing guard.
19:54Men and women like you, brilliant enough to preempt and, if called, fight and win the
20:00wars of tomorrow.
20:03And as technological change continues to transform the battlefield, it only heightens the importance
20:09of this administration and our own whole country on investing in our military's human capital.
20:15That's you and the well-being of our warfighters and your brilliance and your strategic innovation.
20:23Modernization isn't just about tactics and tools.
20:28It's about meeting the needs of our service members.
20:31For too long, we asked too much of too few.
20:38Past leaders sent our service members on mission after mission with no exit strategy, no end
20:45in sight, and with little articulation for the American people or for the warfighters
20:51about what we were doing.
20:54When we extend the deployment of an aircraft carrier that has real impact on people's lives
20:59and we're aware of it.
21:00They miss their families.
21:01Of course, they miss their loved ones and their own life.
21:04They accept that sacrifice.
21:06And that's the job that you've taken on.
21:08But the job that we have taken on is to never misuse that sacrifice or never ask you to
21:13do something without a clear mission and a clear path.
21:18The Trump administration recognizes that our most valuable resources, it's you.
21:33It's young people who are brave enough to put on the uniform and risk your life for
21:39this country.
21:40And we promise, I promise, to cultivate that resource, to protect it, and to use it only
21:47when the national interest demands.
21:49And what makes your new life so unique is that you must take multiple perspectives.
21:56You will be junior officers, of course, answerable to commanders, captains, admirals, generals,
22:03and people like me.
22:05You will have to follow orders even when you don't want to.
22:10And if I can offer one piece of advice from a junior enlisted guy to a bunch of new officers,
22:16to say that when you say, with all due respect, that is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.
22:25I got chewed out more times than I can remember because I assumed that I could say whatever
22:33I wanted to so long as I said with all due respect before it.
22:36That's not how it works out.
22:37You learn that in the hard way.
22:40But importantly, you are not just following orders.
22:43More often than not, you will be giving them.
22:47And just as I see you as our most precious resource, so you must see the men and women
22:56who call you sir and ma'am as your most sacred charge.
23:01You will not just be...
23:10You will not just be another boss.
23:13You will counsel them through triumph and tragedy.
23:17You will learn that there is no clear line between personal and professional for officers
23:23in the Navy and Marine Corps.
23:25But I encourage you to see them not just as people who must follow your orders,
23:31but as leaders in their own right with incredible wisdom and incredible potential.
23:37Now this is shocking to think about.
23:40But there are senior enlisted people who started their careers in the Navy or the Marine Corps
23:48before you were born who will call you sir and ma'am and follow your orders.
23:53Think about what an incredible honor that is.
23:56And think about what an incredible opportunity it is not just to lead these men and women,
24:02but also to learn from these men and women.
24:04And that is the task before you.
24:15You will lean on that experience, of course, but still you're very often, more often than not,
24:20going to be the one in charge.
24:22That is an honor, but it's a responsibility that ought to give you chills.
24:27You've made it now through one of the most demanding institutions in the entire world.
24:33You've earned your commissions, and you've stepped forward to serve at a moment
24:39when your country needs you now more than ever.
24:43But you're stepping into gigantic shoes, and it's worth taking stock of that
24:49as you prepare to receive your commission.
24:52Those of us who serve know that graduates of the Naval Academy,
24:56they have a certain energy, a certain aura, a certain respect when they're out there in the fleet.
25:02Let me just give you an example.
25:06Today is your day, of course, and you should celebrate.
25:10But in three days, the President and I will lead the most solemn occasion in our nation,
25:16Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery.
25:19You'll learn, as I have, that when people say things like,
25:23Happy Memorial Day, you appreciate the sentiment behind it, but you know that it's wrong.
25:29Because Memorial Day is not a happy day.
25:33And Memorial Day is not for those who served and came home.
25:38It is for those who served and didn't.
25:41Every Memorial Day, I think about a graduate of this institution, Major Megan McClung.
25:47She was an officer I served with who was bright, tough, and incredibly dedicated to her job.
25:54She arrived in Iraq not long after me and was killed in action not long after that.
26:01She loved this institution, and like so many that came before her,
26:06she built on its legacy and the way that she served her country.
26:11Now, there are so many stories of great service in this institution.
26:15I look at these signs on this stadium, Bellowood, Midway, Bottom Mouth.
26:22These are battles I read about in history books or learned about when I was a United States Marine.
26:28If you just try to read a list of the people who served after graduating from this institution,
26:35the list is almost so long you can't get through it.
26:39Senior leaders, Commandants of the Marine Corps, Chiefs of Naval Operations,
26:45astronauts, great business leaders, and even a few lowly politicians who graduated from the United States Naval Academy.
26:54Their service is an incredible legacy that they have passed on to you,
27:00and you are the bridge that connects the incredible heritage of this institution
27:07to the future duties and responsibilities your country needs you to perform.
27:14That's an incredible honor, but it's also an incredible responsibility, and I hope you take it seriously.
27:21People look at you as graduates of the Naval Academy in a different way
27:26than they look at most of the people that you will meet every single day.
27:30They will look at you that way, yes, because you worked hard, and yes, because you deserve this day,
27:35but they will also look at you differently because you stand on the shoulders of giants.
27:41And 20, 30, or 40 years from now, there are people who are going to be standing on your shoulders.
27:49So please remember that. Please take it seriously.
27:52And please recognize that you become part of a brotherhood and sisterhood
27:58that will enable you to do great things, that will support you as you do them,
28:02but will ask you to give back as you should in return.
28:08You are the inheritors of a national tradition dating back 250 years.
28:16It began with John Paul Jones, and the founders of this country asked the United States Navy
28:25to take on the most powerful navy on earth, and we won.
28:30Our first patriots knew the stakes.
28:33They did not seek out war.
28:35They did everything they could to advocate and petition for their own liberties.
28:39But when the time came, they raised the military, they raised the Navy, and they fought like hell.
28:46Their example lives on in all of you.
28:50In their courage, we see the roots of your calling to be strong but not reckless,
28:55to seek peace but never at the expense of liberty, to hold firm to your convictions,
29:01even when the cost is high.
29:04I want to say to all of you, I have been Vice President for all of about 120 days,
29:11and this summer I will celebrate my 41st birthday.
29:15But I have never in those 41 years been so proud as I am today
29:22to honor you, to celebrate you, and to congratulate you on a job well done.
29:40Now I'm sure some of you share my politics and some of you don't,
29:44but I know today I speak for a grateful nation when I say
29:50we are rooting for you, Naval Academy Class of 2025.
29:54We are proud of you and we depend on you.
29:57Congratulations, Godspeed, and do great, great work.