By — News Desk News Desk By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-vance-delivers-u-s-air-force-academy-commencement-address Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Vance delivers U.S. Air Force Academy commencement address Politics Updated on May 28, 2026 3:17 PM EDT — Published on May 28, 2026 9:28 AM EDT Vice President JD Vance delivered the commencement address for the U.S. Air Force Academy's class of 2026 on Thursday. Watch the ceremony in the video player above. In his commencement speech at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Vance said technology is evolving faster than military institutions have been accustomed to. He endorsed Pope Leo XIV's recent message warning against outsourcing moral decisions to technology. WATCH: Trump delivers U.S. Coast Guard Academy commencement address "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 told graduates Thursday at a ceremony in Colorado Springs. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Vance said he was confident in the class of 2026, saying they will follow in the footsteps of service members who pulled off a daring rescue of two aviators whose fighter jet was downed by Iran in April. "Your Air Force, your future force, went in there and did the impossible," he said. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — News Desk News Desk By — Associated Press Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance delivered the commencement address for the U.S. Air Force Academy's class of 2026 on Thursday. Watch the ceremony in the video player above. In his commencement speech at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Vance said technology is evolving faster than military institutions have been accustomed to. He endorsed Pope Leo XIV's recent message warning against outsourcing moral decisions to technology. WATCH: Trump delivers U.S. Coast Guard Academy commencement address "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 told graduates Thursday at a ceremony in Colorado Springs. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Vance said he was confident in the class of 2026, saying they will follow in the footsteps of service members who pulled off a daring rescue of two aviators whose fighter jet was downed by Iran in April. "Your Air Force, your future force, went in there and did the impossible," he said. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now