The 2021 graduating class of the U.S. Military Academy is entering a “changing country and a changing world,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said May 22 in his first commencement address at the institution where he received his commission in 1975. 

Austin, the first Black person to serve as U.S. defense secretary, said the cadets are entering the Army as new officers at a time when the “old ways” of doing business are changing, in the aftermath of a pandemic, with a politically divided country and threats from big and rising global competitors. 

“You graduated under exceptionally tough circumstances,” Austin said. “I hope that you are feeling proud of yourself, because we are certainly proud of you.” 

Austin said he learned “lifelong lessons in the importance of serious preparation” at West Point, and the importance of focus, discipline and being part of a team.  

Calling the new lieutenants the “vanguard of a generation,” Austin said the character of war is changing and new threats are arising. “You are ready,” he said. 

“You are graduating in extraordinary circumstances, but let’s be clear, extraordinary circumstances are what the United States Army does,” he said. “Take it from someone who spent 41 years in an Army uniform. I've seen the problems, but just like the nation it defends, the United States military strives to be a more perfect version of itself. And I will take that over our competitors any day.” 

Austin retired from the Army in 2016 after serving as Army vice chief of staff from 2012 to 2013, and a final assignment as U.S. Central Command’s commanding general.