Biden speaks at Coast Guard commencement: ‘We need you badly’

President Biden on Wednesday delivered his first commencement address as commander-in-chief, emphasizing the importance of the latest batch of Coast Guard Academy graduates as the country grapples with a pandemic, climate change and other major challenges.

“You’re the most progressive, best educated, least prejudiced, most open generation in American history. We need you badly,” Biden told the hundreds of cadets in New London, Conn.

Biden made frequent mention of the coronavirus pandemic, which had prevented the Coast Guard from holding its typical in-person ceremony for the class of 2020. He praised the class of 2021 for meeting the challenges posed by the pandemic “head on” and for undertaking the necessary protocols to get back to the academy to conduct in-person training.

“Being here together is a victory in and of itself,” he said. “An important mark in the progress we’ve made to turn the tide of this pandemic.”

Biden championed the Coast Guard as a critical cog in the United States’ national security apparatus. He pointed to the hundreds of reservists who have deployed in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and vaccination efforts nationwide in recent months, as well as the Coast Guard’s role in disaster response as climate change leads to worsening storms.

“Whether it’s interdicting illicit drug shipments at sea before they enter the United States or your stewardship of the environment, the Coast Guard has always recognized the broader definition of our national security,” he said.

The president’s speech was also sprinkled with more light-hearted moments. He opened by threatening to talk for four hours to see how well the cadets’ white uniforms would fare in the sun.

He also quipped that the graduating class had survived various hardships and rituals of the last four years, including getting haircuts that showed “every damn bump on your head.”

And after a Biden swipe at the rival Naval Academy didn’t land with the crowd, the president called out the graduates.

“You’re a really dull class. I mean come on, man,” Biden said. “Is the sun getting to you? I would think you have an opportunity when I say that about the Navy to clap.”