President Joe Biden gave his first commencement address since taking office on Wednesday, speaking to U.S. Coast Guard cadets at the academy’s 140th commencement ceremony.
Biden spoke from New London, Connecticut, where he told graduates that they were a symbol of a promising future ahead for the United States in the face of growing challenges around the world, pointing to their class motto.
“You said: ‘We are the future.’ I don't think I have any idea how profound that assertion is. The world is changing. We're at a significant inflection point in world history,” Biden said.
“In times of great change, we've been able to consistently renew ourselves time and again,” the president added. “We've proven there's not a single thing we cannot do as a nation when we do it together. And I mean that —not a single solitary thing.”
The president also credited cadets’ parents, calling for the graduates to stand and turn around to applaud their families in the bleachers.
“You've raised these cadets to be fierce patriots, as well as young people that have incredible courage and determination,” he said to the families. “So, it's your day too. Cadets — stand up, turn around and salute your parents. Get up. Up, up, up.”
He praised the cadets for choosing a path of service, calling them the “next generation of leaders” and invoking the memory of his son, Beau, who served in Iraq with the U.S. Army.
Biden also joked with the graduating class about the large and small challenges they’d overcome at the academy already, including getting a haircut that shows “every damn bump on your head.”
The president also playfully pardoned the USCG Class of 2021, keeping with tradition in absolving them of all “minor infractions” they committed during school.
“You have no idea how much I wish that I’d been able to do that at my graduation,” he teased.
Later, President Biden then looked abroad to highlight the importance of the U.S. Coast Guard and United States’ maritime security. The president pointed out that more than 25% of the country’s gross domestic product is transported by sea, and he highlighted challenges from countries like China and Russia.
“For decades, the United States has underwritten international maritime security. We and our partners have kept the sea lanes open and secure,” the president said.
“When nations try to game the system, or tip the rules in their favor, it throws everything off balance. That's why we are so adamant that these areas of the world that are the arteries of trade and shipping remain peaceful,” he added.
Biden spoke about diversity and gender equality within the Coast Guard and called attention to the fact that the one-third of the cadets before him were women.
“Each of you will be asked to lead people who come from different backgrounds. Your challenge as a leader is to treat every single person with equal dignity and respect,” he said.
“Our national successes depend on our capacity to harness the full range of ideas and experience that exists in our country, and deliver on the promise of the American dream for all America,” the president added.