Kamala Harris becomes FIRST woman to give commencement address at Naval Academy | FULL SPEECH

News & Politics
Published on May 29, 2021
Vice President Harris on Friday told the graduating class of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy to be prepared to defend the nation in a new era of modern threats that include pandemics, cyberattacks and climate change.

Harris, who on Friday broke a new barrier by becoming the first female commencement speaker in the history of the Naval Academy, said the United States is on the verge of a “significant turning point” in its history and described the midshipmen sitting before her as uniquely positioned to defend the nation and its democracy against new threats.

“The global pandemic you see, of course, has accelerated what was happening before and it has accelerated our world into a new era. It has forever impacted our world. It has forever influenced our perspective. And if we weren't clear before, we know now: Our world is interconnected, our world is interdependent and our world is fragile,” Harris said.

“A deadly pandemic can spread throughout the globe in just a matter of months. A gang of hackers can disrupt the fuel supply of a whole seaboard. One country's carbon emissions can threaten the sustainability of the whole Earth. This, midshipmen, is the era we are in and it is unlike any era that came before,” the vice president continued. “So, the challenge now, the challenge before us now is how to mount a modern defense to these modern threats.”

You can read more here: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/555951-harris-becomes-first-woman-to-give-commencement-address-at-naval

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