Vice President JD Vance speaks during the U.S. Naval Academy's graduation and commissioning ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on Friday, May 23. (AP/Stephanie Scarbrough)
"You will be leaders of men and women in our armed forces," Vance said. "So while President Trump and I congratulate you on this incredible achievement, I also thought it would be appropriate to tell you a bit about how the president and I think of your mission in this new and very dangerous era for our country."
The vice president said past U.S. administrations carried out a "long experiment in our foreign policy that traded national defense and the maintenance of our alliances for nation-building and meddling in foreign countries’ affairs, even when those foreign countries have very little to do with core American interests."
"Following the collapse of the Soviet Union... for a brief time, we were a superpower without any fear. Nor did we believe any foreign nation could possibly rise to compete with the United States of America," he continued.
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Vice President JD Vance speaks on Friday in Annapolis, Md. (AP/KT Kanazawich)
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"We can no longer assume our engagements will come without cost. That's why the Trump administration is investing in innovation, rewarding risk-takers at the Department of Defense and streamlining weapons acquisitions for the new century," he said during his speech.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
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