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It is my great honor to introduce our 

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35th Deputy Secretary of Defense , the 

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honorable dr Kathleen Hicks . 

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Well , thank you to Captain Meyers for 

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that introduction and it really is my 

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pleasure to be joining you this morning 

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in Conway Hall to salute our nation's 

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newest ensigns and lieutenants . At the 

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outset , it's so wonderful that we have 

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many friends and family joining us . I 

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know over the past few years the 

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pandemic has made gatherings like this 

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difficult and I'm glad you could be 

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here today to celebrate and I want to 

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thank you for the support and love that 

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you've provided our midshipmen and 

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cadets . I know that it means so much 

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to them and it will be essential as 

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they take on consequential 

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responsibilities for the nation's 

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security to our ROTC instructors and 

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detachment commanders . Thank you . I 

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know that leading and developing our 

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cadets and midshipmen requires selfless 

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commitment . Thank you for your 

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leadership and for taking the time to 

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make this a meaningful experience , 

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preparing them to become leaders in 

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their own right and members of a joint 

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force entrusted with the defense of the 

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nation To the class of 2022 

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congratulations by completing a program 

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as demanded and rigorous as ROTC . You 

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have meaningfully distinguished 

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yourself and made all Americans proud . 

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We come together today an historic 

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joint base Myer Henderson Hall all 

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around us are reminders of the history 

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and the proud traditions that belong to 

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our nation's armed services Today . 

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This class of 87 officers will be 

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joining that tradition and imprinting 

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your own legacy on it . This is a 

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distinguished group . You've displayed 

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exemplary leadership in the field and 

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at the detachment level , pushing each 

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other and those under your charge , 

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Impressively 14 of you are graduating 

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today as distinguished military 

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graduates , which places you in the top 

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20% of all cadets nationally . For 

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13 of you , your parents were members 

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of our joint force and for 34 of you , 

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you are the first in your family to 

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serve and five of our cadets are first 

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generation americans . nine out of 

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87 are green to gold cadets served 

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previously in our armed services . That 

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includes cadet Ethan Wilson for Ethan 

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and his family who I had the pleasure 

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to meet with this morning . The word 

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goal takes on even greater meaning 

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joining Ethan . Today are his mom julie 

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and his sister Chelsea . And this is a 

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very special family . A gold star , 

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gold star family . We all celebrate the 

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life of private first class thomas 

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Wilson whom we lost in 2000 and seven . 

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And remember especially today , all of 

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us here are so grateful and so thankful 

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that Ethan and his family are joining 

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us this morning . Your committee 

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continued commitment to service is 

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inspiring and it steals our resolve 

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soon . Some of you will be entering 

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active duty , some of the Reserve and 

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others reporting to your state's 

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National Guard . No matter where you 

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are headed , you will be working side 

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by side with military and civilian 

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personnel across the globe , all of 

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whom are dedicated to the defense of 

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the nation . Today's class notably is 

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the first to graduate since September 

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11 , 2001 that will not see combat in 

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Afghanistan . Even so if you scroll 

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through the news on any given day , you 

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know , the United States faces a myriad 

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of challenges . First and foremost , 

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the people of Ukraine are on our minds . 

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Russia's war of choice and brutal 

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tactics show that it continues to pose 

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an acute threat to the international 

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system . And this morning I would like 

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to acknowledge cadet mary , Ami Delish 

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Billy , is she here Miriam very nice to 

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see you . Thank you for standing up . 

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Cadet Dulles Philly is a first 

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generation american . One of those I 

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referenced before who immigrated from 

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Ukraine while in high school today she 

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is completing her master's degree in 

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Security studies policy and is set to 

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commission into the U . S . Army 

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reserves as an army intelligence 

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officer . Her story is America's story 

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and it's one that makes us very proud . 

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Even as we confront Russia's malign 

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activities , we know that china is our 

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military's most consequential 

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competitor and the pacing challenge for 

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our military . It has the military 

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economic and technological capability 

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to fundamentally threaten the 

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international system in America's 

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interests within it . We also continue 

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to face persistent regional threats 

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emanating from north Korea and Iran and 

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violent extremist organizations . And 

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we must also confront trans boundary 

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challenges like climate change , that 

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impact our operations and our missions 

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this morning . I'd like to speak to you 

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briefly about how we you and I are 

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going to meet these challenges and I'll 

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highlight two of those approaches . 

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First , the cornerstone of our 2022 

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National Defense Strategy is integrated 

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deterrence at its core , Integrated 

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deterrence requires integrating our 

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military across domains and across the 

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spectrum of conflict . More than that . 

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It also includes new concepts of 

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operation , the elimination of 

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stovepipes between services and their 

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capabilities and coordinated operations 

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on land , in the air , on the sea , in 

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space and in cyberspace . That means 

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that you have to know and rely on your 

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teammates from the start . I know that 

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this past year your rosy detachment 

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commanders have been deliberate in 

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ensuring that you have all been exposed 

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to and learned about each other's 

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branches . You haven't remained siloed 

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in your stove pipes , you did so by 

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breaking out into joint teams and 

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competing against each other in 

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different fitness activities on the 

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national mall . You're ROTC branches 

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joined together and undertook different 

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field activities where you learned to 

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rely on each other in tough situations 

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And you're as easy ball . This year was 

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a joint occasion where 200 of you ate 

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together celebrated the end of the 

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semester and had the opportunity to 

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watch the Air Force drill team . These 

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types of activities break down harmful 

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stovepipes , help you become a more 

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seamless joint force and allow all of 

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us to realize the potential of 

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integrated deterrence . We trust that 

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you will build on these experiences as 

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you go forward to defend the nation . A 

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second approach to meet the challenges 

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we face today is our commitment to 

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invest more deeply in advanced systems 

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and technologies critical to defense . 

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One of America's greatest comparative 

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advantages is our ingenuity and 

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inventiveness . That is why President 

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biden's 2023 budget request looks to 

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make investments in advanced systems 

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like missile defeat and missile defense , 

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long range fires including hypersonic 

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weapons , space and space based systems , 

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cyber activities and D . O . G . S own 

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digital modernization . We also asked 

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Congress for over $130 billion dollars 

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for research , development , test and 

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evaluation . This will help us develop 

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critical 5G and artificial intelligence 

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technologies that we need for the 

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future . For many of you probably all 

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of you , your relationship with 

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technology is fundamentally stronger 

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than that of prior generations . You're 

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quite familiar with the technologies 

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that I've just mentioned as digital 

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natives . You are at home imagining how 

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advanced devices and digital 

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applications can deliver advantage you 

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adapt quickly and seamlessly when 

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presented with new software and more 

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data . This class is more prepared and 

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primed to leverage and implement the 

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technologies we are employing and 

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developing that any than any that 

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preceded you . That's great news for 

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the military doing so will be crucial 

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in meeting the challenges we face today . 

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In fact , your lived experiences aren't 

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just nice to have their national 

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security imperative and we are looking 

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forward to the talent and tools that 

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you will bring to service . I'll close 

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this morning by speaking just a minute 

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about the oath of office that you are 

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about to take . We are asking you to 

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support and defend the constitution of 

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the United States . There is a lot in 

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just those 11 words . The oath 

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attests your dedication to public 

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service , your willingness to put 

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others needs before your own and your 

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commitment to upholding the values we 

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hold dear . And because of your solemn 

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pledge today , I know that the United 

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States and our democratic way of life 

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is safer because our national security 

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is now in your capable hands . I and 

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everyone who has come here to support 

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you today , deeply respect and honor 

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your selflessness and willingness to 

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serve our country . Thank you taking 

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the oath and living the oath is an 

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enormous responsibility , but one that 

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I know each of you are ready for and 

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for which your instructors and 

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commanders have prepared you well . We 

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are counting on your leadership , your 

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integrity , and your commitment to the 

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military's core values as you go out to 

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lead the women and men entrusted by 

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their families to serve in our armed 

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forces . So congratulations to the 

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class of 2022 . I can't wait to see all 

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of the great things that you'll do for 

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our country and I look forward to 

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serving alongside each of you 

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dr hicks . Thank you for the insight 

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and wisdom you've shared with us today . 

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At this time we would like to celebrate 

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our cadets and midshipmen who have 

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worked so hard to reach this moment . 

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The road begins here with the 

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affirmation of your duty to support and 

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defend our constitution . Would 

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everyone please rise for the oath of 

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office administered by the honorable dR 

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hicks , 

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cadets and midshipmen . When directed 

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by dr hicks , please raise your right 

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hand and repeat the oath with the 

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cadets and midshipmen . Please raise 

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their right hand . I state your name . 

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Do you solemnly swear that I will 

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support and defend the Constitution of 

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the United States ? All right 

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against all enemies foreign and 

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domestic . Mhm . That I will bear 

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true faith and allegiance to the same . 

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That I take this obligation freely 

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without any mental reservation 

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or purpose of evasion and that I will 

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well and faithfully discharge the 

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duties of the office on 

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which I am about to enter . So help me 

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God congratulations ! 

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Congratulations to the newest cohort of 

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joint officers . Members of the 

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audience may now be seated as the 

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honorable dR hicks and the commanding 

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officers will now take a photo with the 

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newest officers in the Department of 

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Defense