‘General’ advice for graduates

THE CHAIRMAN of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy must embrace constant change to succeed.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, the commencement speaker Saturday at West Point’s graduation, told cadets the pace of change and speed of war has greatly accelerated.

There is no substitute “for taking a clear-eyed look at the threats we will face and asking how our force will adapt to meet those threats,” Dunford said.

Almost 950 cadets were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during the ceremony at the academy’s football stadium.

Dunford is the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. He became chairman in October 2015.

Among the new graduates is the first black woman to lead the Long Gray Line.

Simone Askew last year became the first captain of the 4,400-member Corps of Cadets, the highest position in the cadet chain of command. Askew is from Fairfax, Va.