Obama warns Air Force Academy grads not to give in to isolationism
President Obama, in his final commencement address in office, talked about the role of the military in the years ahead and warned that it should not shift toward isolationism.
"The United States of America remains the most powerful nation on earth and a force for good," Mr. Obama said at the commencement for graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
While he didn't name Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, the president's remarks seemed to be a response to Trump's criticisms of America's standing in the world -- he has called Mr. Obama's foreign policy "weak" on several occasions.
"Our standing in the world is higher and I see it in my travels from Havana to Berlin to Ho Chi Minh City where huge crowds of Vietnamese line the streets--some waving American flags," the president said.
Mr. Obama said that while the U.S. military "is the most capable fighting force on the planet," America still faces serious threats from terrorist groups and nations like Russia and North Korea. He told the graduates that their generation's challenge will be to take on this complex world.
"America cannot shirk the mantle of leadership," Mr. Obama advised. "We cannot be isolationists...We cannot give in to isolationism. It's a false comfort. Allowing problems to fester over there makes us less secure here."
The Air Force Academy graduated 812 airmen and airwomen this year, according to the Air Force. Sixty will be trained to operate remotely piloted aircraft -- drones, for example -- and 345 will train as pilots.
The president said that another lesson he has learned after serving as commander-in-chief for nearly eight years is not to hesitate to use military force unilaterally to protect Americans. Mr. Obama began listing top terrorist targets that were either killed or captured under his leadership--including Osama bin Laden.
"The list goes on because if you target Americans, we will find you and justice will be done and we will defend our nation," he said.
