VP Harris to Coast Guard grads: ‘Rule of law is strained’

NEW LONDON — Vice President Kamala Harris told Coast Guard cadets graduating Wednesday they were entering their service at a time when the “rule of law is strained” and “fundamental principles are under threat.”

In her speech, the vice president, whose visit marked her first to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, also touched on the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

“And the challenges we face are broader than Russia,” Harris said. “Around the world, we see additional attempts to undermine the rules-based order: Nations that threaten the freedom of the seas; criminal gangs and traffickers who skirt the rule of law, and fuel corruption and violence; those that manipulate and undermine the foundations of international commerce.”

She said, as members of the Coast Guard, the graduating class would also uphold the international rules-based order.

“Over time, this order has been tried. This order has been tested. And far too often, this order has been taken for granted,” Harris said. “Frankly, sometimes we forget how rare it is in human history to have a period of relative peace and stability among nations.”

As Harris touched down at the Groton-New London Airport Wednesday morning, Laura Brown, 52, of Mystic, was waiting in the parking lot in hopes of catching a glimpse of the vice president.

Brown, who wore a Biden-Harris shirt, said she was there to “welcome my VP to Connecticut.”

“She's hope for America,” Brown said.

With the expectation that the U.S. Supreme Court will curtail or dismantle the federal right to abortion established by the 1973 case Roe v. Wade, Brown said she's particularly concerned about abortion rights and wom

en's rights leading up to the November election.

Harris' commitment to protecting Roe is a major reason why Brown said she supports the vice president.

The federal service academy announced last month that Harris would give the speech to the graduating class. Vice presidents traditionally speak at each of the service academy graduations on a rotation. Harris spoke at the Naval Academy graduation last year, when President Joe Biden delivered the speech at the Coast Guard Academy.

Biden also delivered the graduation speech to graduating Coast Guard cadets in 2013, when he was vice president.

Harris visited Connecticut last year when she stopped in New Haven to highlight the American Rescue Plan and also sampled some of the area's pizza.

Stephen Dunn / Associated Press Vice President Kamala Harris delivers the keynote address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's 141st Commencement Exercises Wednesday in New London.

Stephen Dunn / Associated Press Vice President Kamala Harris at the conclusion of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's 141st Commencement Exercises Wednesday in New London. At left is Carolyn Ziegler, the last cadet of the 250 to graduate.