Cadets at the 2021 Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs.

Cadets at the 2021 Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs. Tara Copp / Defense One

Peace with Russia, China ‘Fraying at the Edge,’ Milley Tells Graduating Cadets

New Air Force officers should work “to set the conditions for a future that prevents great power war,” Joint Chiefs chairman says.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The Air Force Academy class of 2021 is graduating into a security environment where the relative peace the United States has held with Russia and China is “fraying at the edge,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told graduating seniors Wednesday. 

That peace “is under stress,” Milley said. “We would be wise to lift our gaze from the never-ending urgency of the present to set the conditions for a future that prevents great power war.”

“You can expect to be at the edge many, many times, to make hard choices with imperfect information,” the Army general told the Air Force’s newest officers. “You will have to keep your guard up against the enduring nature of evolving security challenges.”

On Thursday, Milley will join Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Capitol Hill, where they will press the case for the vast modernization both leaders see as necessary to match China’s technological rise. 

Milley’s remarks to the Air Force graduates hinted at his concern that retaining existing missions in the interest of meeting current threats will leave the U.S. more vulnerable. 

China is expected to surpass U.S. capabilities in artificial intelligence by 2025, according to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, and is expected to have an equal number of fifth-generation fighters by then as well, Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, said this week. 

“The country that masters new technologies, combines them with doctrine and develops leadership to take advantage of them. The side that does that best will have a decisive advantage at the start of the next war,” Milley told the graduates. 

Before Wednesday’s ceremony, some cadets told Defense One that the uncertainty of the year just past had prepared them for their next chapter. 

The class of 2021 experienced the full arc of COVID, from initial infections in the U.S. in early 2020 all the way to getting vaccinated this spring. 

It culminated Wednesday at Falcon Stadium, where each of the 1,019 graduates was allowed to invite eight guests, a luxury last year’s class did not get after COVID forced the Academy to close and send everyone except the seniors home. 

Cadet 1st Class Greg Barry was finishing his junior year when he was sent back to his home to Albuquerque, New Mexico, after COVID broke out. 

Barry returned to campus last June. As a senior and a vice cadet wing commander—the roughly 4,200 cadets at the academy are split into wings of 1,000 each—he and others were responsible for guiding the newest arrivals on the traditions there. But nothing about the year was normal.  

“It was just uncertainty,” Barry said. “The rules and understandings continually changed. And for us, you know, coming back from all over the nation, I think that was really tough for people to just be thrown into a totally different environment.”

“It was harder to get these freshmen used to the place because, you know, when we have lunch, there's 10 people that sit at a table, and you get to hear from all the upperclassmen about their life, what's going on. And that's kind of how you learned so much about the Academy, from that lunch. So, I think it took people to realize, you know, we need to be creative with how we engage and how we get together.” 

The class was also shaped by the domestic turmoil of 2020, from the national anger over the death of George Floyd to the uncertainty created after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. 

Cadet 1st Class Emily Berexa said the past year “showed me what kind of leader I want to be.” 

When George Floyd was murdered, they talked about it in class. When the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol occurred, her squadron and classes were encouraged to discuss it, she said.

“It's something I definitely carry with me moving forward, just the ability to have those conversations, whether it is national events or things that are affecting the base or the unit on a smaller scale,” she said. 

After graduation, Berexa will attend Oxford University to pursue graduate studies in engineering. Then she will begin pilot training to fly “whatever they give me,” she said. 

She said she feels prepared to face an uncertain security environment in her future military career too. As a cadet, she completed the Academy’s jump program, in which “your first skydive is a solo jump,” she said. 

“You are learning to face your fears and knowing ‘OK, I'm responsible for making sure I get down to the ground safely,’” Berexa said. 

This year’s class was the second to graduate officers directly into the Space Force; 112 are entering the newest military branch, Milley said.

“Twenty years from now, in 2041, many of you will be at the helm of our Joint Force as colonels and brigadier generals,” Milley said. “Do not wait until then to be bold. Innovate. Challenge yourselves to meet the threats that loom on the faraway horizon. Always be ready to deter great power war.”

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.