As artificial intelligence and space defense become more prevalent in warfare, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told the 2026 U.S. Air Force Academy graduating class to uphold their standards while embracing innovation on a cloudy Thursday morning.

Marking the Academy’s 68^th graduating class and the United States of America’s 250^th anniversary, Vance told this year’s 931 graduating cadets to apply the skills and character they developed over the last four years as they enter “an entirely new era of warfare.”

He recalled the Air Force’s history in American conflicts in European airspaces, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the “extraordinary skill and professionalism” of its servicemen and servicewomen and its ability to adapt to innovations throughout this time.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and the first of such to serve as the nation’s vice president, Vance pointed to the increasing implementation of AI, autonomous systems and cyber operations by militaries that the next generations of servicemen and servicewomen will need to adapt to.

“Technology is evolving far faster than military institutions have historically been accustomed to. Now, some of you will operate from the air, some in cyber and some in space,” he told the cadets in the moments before they became officers.

“Many of you will hold jobs that would have sounded like science fiction to graduates of this academy even 20 years ago.”

Vance noted that foreign nations are studying U.S. industrial capacity, political divisions and attention spans to exploit weaknesses.

Recent developments like the manufacturing of the Boeing F-47 Fighter Jet and Operation Golden Dome, a new homeland missile defense program proposed by the Trump Administration, were highlighted as some of the U.S. military’s recent responses to the technological needs in today’s warfare.

Vance also pointed to recent military operations such as Epic Fury, Midnight Hammer and Absolute Resolve as successful executions of complex missions in modern-day scenarios. In the case of Epic Fury, the operation also included the rescue of two downed airmen in April following the initial strikes against Iran.

Vance also urged the human component that remains in today’s military operations and how the graduating class is prepared to meet those needs. Regarding the use of AI, he urged the graduates to embrace it as a useful tool in their careers, while maintaining the moral gravity of how it’s used.

“You are the ones to ensure that our lethality in war, which is amazing and necessary, can also coexist with our heart and our conscience,” he said. “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.”

Vance also announced that one of this year’s graduates would be working a summer internship with his office, before shaking every incoming officer’s hand.

Leading up to the commencement ceremony, it was fair to wonder if the Thunderbirds’ iconic flyover would be cancelled for a second year in a row, ahead of the ceremony on account of the on-again, off-again drizzles, wind gusts and low clouds. The sun began to shine through just as the ceremony commenced, however, and the weather held long enough for two flyovers.

The following airshow, however, was cancelled because of low clouds and pilot safety.

Vance noted, during his speech, that he had prepared a remark on the “beautiful morning in Colorado Springs” before pausing and looking up to an overcast sky.

“And that’s a note to the vice president and the vice president’s speech writers, to check the weather before you make a big speech,” he told the crowd.

Graduates by the numbers

931 – total graduates

13 – international cadets from: Guyana, Jordan, South Korea, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Niger, Phillipines, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Tunisia.

3.21: average cumulative GPA

805: Air Force assignments (as of May 27, 2026)

94: Space Force assignments (as of May 27, 2026)

58,508 – total Air Force Academy graduates for all years

852 – Air Force Academy graduates who have attained the rank of “General”

494 – total international graduates for all years