As the U.S. ended two decades of war in Afghanistan, the longest in the country's history, the vice president said, Russia soon launched the first major ground war in Europe since World War II when it invaded Ukraine. Commencement speakers at the country’s military academies are usually delivered by the president, vice president or high-ranking military official — which until Harris’ election meant speakers have always been men. Only a few dozen graduates each year are Black women, like Harris, though the number has ticked up in recent years. West Point dates to 1802. Last year, Harris addressed graduates at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.

Source: ABC News May 27, 2023 15:59 UTC