WEBVTT

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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