Defense secretary tells US Naval Academy graduates they will lead ‘through tension and uncertainty’

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told U.S. Naval Academy graduates Friday that they will be leading future sailors and Marines “through tension and uncertainty,” noting how two graduates from last year were just aboard the USS Carney in the Red Sea, where they helped shoot down missiles and drones.

The Navy has stationed multiple ships in the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, which has heightened tensions in the region. The secretary said the two ensigns, who only just graduated last year, were aboard the Navy destroyer and “helped defend the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”

“They helped those in distress at sea,” Austin said. “They helped degrade the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.”

The Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, has shot down multiple rockets the Houthis have fired toward Israel during that nation’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“In fact, the Carney conducted 51 engagements in six months, which is the most direct Navy engagement with a foe since World War II,” Austin said.

The Red Sea, stretching from Egypt’s Suez Canal to the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait separating the Arabian Peninsula from Africa, is a key trade route for global shipping and energy supplies.

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