Vice President JD Vance told graduating cadets of the U.S. Air Force Academy on Thursday they are entering into an entirely new era of warfare where new technologies powered by artificial intelligence are “evolving far faster than military institutions have historically been accustomed to.”
The vice president delivered the commencement address to more than 900 cadets now newly minted as officers in the Air and Space Forces. They tossed their caps as F-16 fighter jets streaked across the cloudy skies in Colorado Springs.
The Academy class of 2026 was hailed on the field of Falcon Stadium as having the highest average GPA of any class in 20 years. They had the highest physical fitness scores in more than 10 years and five cadets were unable to attend the commencement in order to compete in the NCAA Track and Field Championships. The class also graduated international cadets from 13 countries.
Leigh Kinne stood huddled in the bleachers, a sweatshirt wrapped around her head as rain sprinkled the stadium before the ceremony began. She moved from North Carolina to Colorado Springs to live in the same city as her son Andrew for his senior year at the Academy. He will soon transfer to Oklahoma for Air Force pilot training.
“When you drop them off here … you’re like, ‘Oh, there goes my baby,’ and it’s nerve-wracking,” Kinne said. “And now he’s a full-grown man.”
Vance endorsed Pope Leo’s encyclical on risks of AI
The graduates move into the U.S. armed forces during a time of rapidly evolving geopolitical threats. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told cadets the country’s adversaries are aggressively pursuing new autonomous vehicle and satellite technologies, challenging American dominance wherever they can.
“Whether you feel ready or not,” Meink said, “your career will be marked by rapid change.”
In his roughly half-hour address, Vance told the graduates when their new roles as 2nd Lieutenants begin in two months, and some of them will have jobs that would have seemed like science fiction two decades ago. Ninety-four of the cadets are commissioning into the U.S. Space Force, a military branch that was created only seven years ago and is expected to double in size in coming years. And the Air and Space Forces have proven critical in the country’s ongoing conflict with Iran, Vance said.
“When the President needs options, it’s our Air Force and our Space Force who provide them, redefining what is possible mission after mission through sheer human daring,” Vance said. “And when the President says he will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, it is the men and women you’ll join in just 60 days who give force to that promise and to that guarantee.”
Some analysts and tech CEOs are calling the war with Iran the first large-scale conflict “driven by AI,” and Vance acknowledged that it will increasingly impact warfare.
Nevertheless, Vance said he endorsed the sentiment behind Pope Leo IX’s recent wide-ranging encyclical on the risks of AI. He charged the cadets to hold tightly to their values and conscience amidst incredible advancements in weapons systems. He told them to use technology to improve their capabilities, but never to submit to those technologies.
“It is an incredible burden to put on your shoulders, but it is one that we entrust to you with full confidence,” Vance said. “If the warfare of the future is to live up to the moral values of our ancestors, decisions over life and death must be made by humans and not machines.”
In a lighter moment, Vance announced he was hiring cadet Mark Raymond Tang for a summer internship before he commissions into the Space Force.
“Consider this your very first meeting with the new boss,” Vance said. “Congratulations. Don’t screw it up.”
Lauren Hurley graduated from the Academy last year. She sat in the stands with the family of her fiancé, Connor Lindaur, who is part of the class of 2026. She remembered her commencement as a time to reflect on the inseparable bonds she’d made as a cadet.
“When you throw your hat in the air, it’s the most exhilarating feeling,” Hurley said. “You’re crying the most happy tears and you know that these people will be with you forever.”
This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, with support from news outlets throughout the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.