NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) - President Joe Biden on Wednesday used his first
commencement address as commander in chief to tell Coast Guard Academy graduates
they will play a vital role as the United States reasserts itself on the world
stage.
Biden, speaking at the Coast Guard's sun-soaked Connecticut campus, told the
240 graduates that ``the world is changing'' and told them that they are at
``significant inflection point.''
``The best way to meet the wide array of threats we meet today is by investing
in America's enduring advantages,`` said Biden, ``and ensure we're operating
from a position of strength.''
The president used the speech to position the United States as a defender of
global rules, trade and marine law, specifically in the South China Sea and the
Arctic. Following the inward-looking presidency of Donald Trump, Biden has
pushed for the U.S. to prove that democracy still works at home so it can lead
by example across the globe and compete with rising autocracies.
But Biden made no mention of several current global hotspots, including the
ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, for which hours earlier he
called for a cease-fire. Biden, who also spoke at the New London academy as vice
president in 2013, did stress that the Coast Guard played in responding to more
frequent extreme weather, such as hurricanes, due to climate change.
In good spirts, Biden relished the stage, telling stories about his late son
Beau _ an Army veteran _and teasing the graduates for not laughing at his jokes,
smiling as he declared them ``a really dull class.'' But he turned serious when
he praised them for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, declaring that ``you met
the threat head on, you adapted, you showed resilience, you led.''
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