Vice President JD Vance was in Colorado Springs on Thursday to address the Air Force Academy Graduating Class of 2026.
The Academy is just across the interstate from Focus on the Family and the Daily Citizen.
Speaking to cadets and family and friends, VP Vance acknowledged the joint effort required to raise and launch such fine young men and women.
“Now all of you celebrate a journey that started not just four years ago, but decades before that,” he stated. “And so I particularly want to welcome the people who made you who you are. The friends, the family, the faculty, the loved ones … But most of all, I want to thank the families who are with us this morning.
“The young men and women we honor today deserve a tremendous amount of praise. But they know as well as I do that the seeds of many of their finest qualities were ultimately planted by all of you in the bleachers.”
He continued to stress the importance of cultivating a grateful heart.
“And to our new officers … show a spirit of gratitude above all to the people who made you who you are. That will make you better Airmen, it will make you better Guardians, and it will make you better leaders.
“When you’re tired, remember the father or the mother who worked an extra shift to give you a little bit extra. When you’re frustrated with someone under your command, and that will happen, remember the time a grandparent or a schoolteacher showed youpatience and grace that you didn’t deserve.
“To the loved ones gathered here today, we will never forget that our nation’s Airmen and Guardians were your sons and daughters long before they were ours.”
Vice President Vance noted the “gumption” of our armed forces and their ability and willingness to do what many other countries consider to be impossible. He then shared the story of the dramatic rescue of the downed pilots in Iran. Acknowledging the difficulty of the mission, he emphasized that in every military operation, it’s wise to have alternative options when snags inevitably arise.
“And that’s exactly what we did and what we learned is that sometimes ‘Plan A’ doesn’t always work out,” he reflected. “Sometimes ‘Plan B’ doesn’t always work out. But the reason why the Air Force and the Space Force are so powerful is because they go from ‘Plan A’ to ‘Plan B’ to ‘Plan C’ and they execute time and time again. That’s what makes you the best Air Force and the best Space Force anywhere in the world.”
Vice President Vance shared about a conversation he had just had on stage with a general who noted how the world’s headlines can sometimes get him down – until he looks up and sees the cadets of the United States Air Force Academy. “When I look at the future of America, I feel great hope that we are and will remain the greatest country anywhere in the world,” he told him.
The speech then turned to the subject of artificial intelligence, a matter of increasing concern and interest. The Vice President noted Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical in which he urged caution.
“I want to endorse that sentiment and make it more specific to each and every one of you,” said Vance. “AI will inevitably change warfare, and of course, as you’ve learned over the last four years, it already has. But one of the things that makes Americans unique, that makes you as warfighters unique, is that we wage war justly.”
We can draw distinctions from Scripture between righteous and unrighteous violence. Known as “Jus Ad Bellum” or “Just War Theory,” Augustine is credited with studying and coming up with criteria that applies to conflicts between nations. These principles include: “having just cause, being a last resort, being declared by a proper authority, possessing right intention, having a reasonable chance of success, and the end being proportional to the means being used.”
Vice President Vance then drew and further urged distinctions:
“You are the ones who ensure that our lethality in war — which is amazing and necessary — that it also coexists with our heart and with our conscience. It is an incredible burden to put on your shoulders, but it is one that we entrust to you with full confidence. And if the warfare of the future is to live up to the moral values of our ancestors, decisions over life and death must be made by humans and not machines.”
He then added:
“I ask that you be jealous and selfish about your role as the decision maker in warfare. This technology can make you better, but never submit to it. You are the masters of warfare, and both your minds but also your hearts are the opposite of artificial.”
Please join us in praying for all the courageous men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The post VP JD Vance: Never Surrender Your Conscience to AI appeared first on Daily Citizen.
Daily Citizen