President Barack Obama Wednesday told the newest graduates of the Air Force Academy that the world they face will be different from that faced by many of their predecessors.
Obama, speaking at the graduation ceremony in Colorado, said that the new officers in the Air Force would, like their predecessors, be charged with leading those under them in a time of war.
However, Obama said, the scope of the nation's war is much diminished from when they first began at the academy four years earlier.
"You are the first class in nine years that will graduate into a world where there are no Americans fighting in Iraq," Obama said. "For the first time in your lives -- and thanks to Air Force personnel who did their part -- Osama bin Laden is no longer a threat to our country."
He added, "We've put al Qaeda on the path to defeat. And you are the first graduates since 9/11 who can clearly see how we'll end the war in Afghanistan."
Now, Obama said, the nation can see the "light of a new day" on the horizon in which the nation no longer needs to demand so much of the members of its military services.
"Ten years of continuous military operations have stretched our forces and strained their families," he said. "Going forward, you'll face fewer deployments. You'll have more time to train and stay ready."
He added, "That means you'll be better prepared for the full range of missions you face."
Furthermore, Obama said, the nation is not looking to base American power in the future solely on the strength of its military - enlisting also the diplomatic, economic and idealistic ideals of the nation.
"Today, we can say with confidence and pride the United States is stronger and safer and more respected in the world, because even as we've done the work of ending these wars, we've laid the foundation for a new era of American leadership," the president said.
He added, "Let's start by putting aside the tired notion that says our influence has waned or that America is in decline."
Such gloomy prognostications have come often in the past - from the Great Depression and Pearl Harbor to Vietnam and the energy crisis of the 1970s - only to be proved wrong over and over again, Obama said.
"As recently as the 1980s with the rise of Japan and the Asian tigers, there were those who said we had lost our economic edge," he said. "But we retooled. We invested in new technologies. We launched an Information Revolution that changed the world."
He added, "After all this, you would think folks understand a basic truth -- never bet against the United States of America."
The graduates of the academy, Obama said, would have the opportunity to help ensure that the 21st century, like the 20th, would be a great American century.
"We have the resilience to make it through these tough economic times," he said. "We're going to put America back to work by investing in the things that keep us competitive -- education and high-tech manufacturing, science and innovation. We'll pay down our deficits, reform our tax code and keep reducing our dependence on foreign oil."
He added, "We need to get on with nation-building here at home. And I know we can, because we're still the largest, most dynamic, most innovative economy in the world."
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.