Defense secretary tells US Naval Academy graduates they will lead ‘through tension and uncertainty’

By BRIAN WITTE
Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told U.S. Naval Academy graduates that they will be leading future sailors and Marines “through tension and uncertainty.” Austin noted in his speech Friday how two graduates from last year were just aboard the USS Carney in the Red Sea, where they helped shoot down missiles and drones. The Navy has stationed multiple ships in the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7. The secretary said the two ensigns, who only just graduated last year, were aboard the destroyer and “helped defend the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”