COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Vice President JD Vance will serve as the U.S. Air Force Academy’s (USAFA) graduation speaker on May 28, according to the Academy.
The 68th USAFA commencement ceremony will take place at Falcon Stadium next Thursday.
Historically, the military academies typically cycle between high-ranking government officials as their commencement speakers, including the president, vice president, Secretary of Defense, and the service branch secretaries.
In 2025, newly appointed Air Force Secretary Troy Meink delivered the USAFA address. The year prior was Vice President Kamala Harris.
President Trump spoke at West Point last year and was expected to speak at the Naval Academy this year due to the unofficial rotation, but it was announced Monday that Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will instead speak to the graduating class of 2026 in Annapolis.
Despite the cycle of expected speakers, scheduling, and other operational issues can often change who speaks and where.
Earlier this month, it was announced that President Trump will serve as the commencement speaker for the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. on May 20.
The schedule of events for the Air Force Academy graduation is tentative as times and venues might change due to security, weather, or other circumstances.
As of now, gates are set to open at 6 a.m. for ticketed guests. No entry will be allowed once the ceremony begins. A dignitary such as VP Vance is likely to induce heightened security measures.
The Academy already enacted more stringent base access on March 1, following the U.S. and Israel war on Iran.
Vance was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2025, for President Trump’s second term. Prior to joining Trump’s ticket, Vance was an Ohio Senator and Marine Corps veteran. He served on active duty from 2003 to 2007, according to a USAFA release.
This year, over 900 cadets will commission as officers into the Air Force and Space Force.
They'll join an armed forces where U.S. air power has played an outsized role in precision attacks on Iran, both last year and this year.
And Vance himself has been involved as a negotiator to help end the war.
Filling in for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday, Vance said "We think that we've made a lot of progress. We think the Iranians want to make a deal."
The ongoing war and the role of the Air Force and Space Force, both at present and into the future, could be an overhanging focus in the vice president's speech.
The ceremony itself is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.
The Thunderbirds Airshow and flyover is set to occur between 11:25 a.m. and 11:55 a.m. The Thunderbirds' flyover was canceled last year due to inclement weather.
Graduating cadets receive up to 20 tickets each for guests to attend the ceremony and all seating is assigned, according to the USAFA graduation web page.
Tickets are required for entry. Members of the general public will be distributed through local chambers of commerce and partner organizations starting May 20, according to the Academy.
Details on ticket distribution, base access, parking, and the full graduation week schedule are available at usafa.edu/graduation.
A livestream of the ceremony will be available on KOAA.com and our streaming platforms.
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