New officers ready to lead in a complex world > US Department of Defense > Department of Defense News

Even as new Navy ensigns and Marine Corps second lieutenants were being commissioned at the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Central Command issued a statement on the latest threat to Red Sea sailors .

“At approximately 7:26 a.m. on May 23, the Iranian-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea,” the Centcom statement said. “No injuries or damage have been reported by U.S., coalition or commercial vessels. This continued malicious and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of sailors from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.”

This is just one of the threats new officers will face as they begin their military careers. This is an example of the challenges these young officers face when they join the ranks.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III told military graduates in Annapolis, Md., that their experiences at the Naval Academy prepared them to face the challenges of the future.

“I hope you will look back on your years here as a long lesson in courage, adaptability and discipline,” the secretary said. “You do the reps and sets to succeed as a team and grow as a teammate. And that’s what we will continue to expect from you, today and every day.

The class arrived at the academy at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak. They had to adapt to a new learning situation and new procedures to obtain their diploma. “You followed your class motto: “From adversity, victory”,“, Austin said. “And during a once-in-a-generation pandemic, that’s exactly what you showed.”

This is the second year in a row that Austin, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., has officiated at the Naval Academy graduation. “Last year, I told the Class of 2023 that they would learn that the lifeblood of the rules-based international order is actually seawater,” he said. “And over the past year, we have seen how important your mission is. Sea power is a beacon that projects American power and American principles to the world. Our allies and partners depend on it, and our enemies and rivals envy him.”

The Navy and Marine Corps defend American principles from the South China Sea to the Red Sea. Austin said the United States faces new challenges to the open world of rules, rights and responsibilities built under American leadership after World War II. “In times like these, freedom of navigation relies on the bow waves of U.S. Navy ships,” he said. “As officers, you will help us increase American security and model American values ​​around the world. Our Sailors and Marines will enable the U.S. military to project power anywhere on Earth.”

The new ensigns and second lieutenants will join the services working to “secure the world’s sea lanes for the free flow of ships, commerce and ideas,” Austin said. “We rely on you to sail, fly and operate wherever international law allows. We rely on you to deepen old alliances and forge new friendships. And we rely on you to prevent conflict and maintain the peace.”

Certainly, new officers must be prepared for war, but they must do more. Austin cited Navy Admiral Arleigh Burke, who said in 1961 that naval officers must “understand not only how to fight a war, but also how to use the enormous power they harness to support a world of freedom and justice”.

“And you will be tested. Just ask last year’s graduates,” the secretary said.

The Secretary spoke with Class of 2023 ensigns aboard the USS Carney. “They helped defend freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” he said. “They helped those in distress at sea. They helped degrade the capabilities of the Iran-backed Houthi militia. And they helped shoot down missiles and drones (unmanned aerial vehicles). In fact, The Carney conducted 51 engagements in six months, which was the Navy’s most direct engagement with an enemy since World War II.

“And the message from these signs on the Carney to the Class of 2024 is this: You are ready.”

The secretary said they will lead Sailors and Marines through tensions and uncertainty.