WEST POINT, N.Y. – Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III called on the next generation of Army officers to lead with courage and unwavering commitment those women and men who have answered the call to serve.

In his Dec. 4, 2024, address to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, on “Lessons in American Military Leadership,” the Secretary drew from his more than four decades of service in uniform and emphasized that the people who Filling this out The ranks of the country’s all-volunteer armed forces will continue to form the core of the United States’ warfighting capability.

“Over the decades, our uniforms have changed. Our weapons have changed. Our tactics have changed. But one thing will never change. And that is the power and the capabilities of our people,” Austin, a member of West Point’s graduating class of 1975, said.

“They are the key to our strength and our fighting ability,” he said. “And the security of the United States will always depend on two great strategic assets: the talents and commitment of the American people and the values ​​of our democracy.”

He shared a number of lessons learned from his nearly six years of combat leadership, highlighting the need to lead the country’s fighters with conviction.

“On the battlefield, troops for poor leaders will only go as far as they must,” Austin said. “But for good leaders, troops will do anything. And I personally have seen that over and over again.”

“American soldiers will run through walls to become leaders, and I mean that literally,” he said. “You will do amazing things. You will demonstrate phenomenal courage. And he’s more powerful than anything you see in any war movie.”

This inherent courage permeates all ranks, regardless of gender, Austin said. He particularly noted the courage he saw in the women who served under his command.

When he served as deputy division commander for maneuver during the March on Baghdad in 2003, Austin said he decided to keep his command post close to the action to see the situation and understand battlefield conditions.

Just before crossing the departure line, he gathered his team, including “several extraordinary women” who served in his command post, to discuss what lay ahead.

“I told my team, ‘Look, we have to win this fight, so I have to be on top,'” Austin recalled. “I know what will happen to me if I am captured.” I have no intention of being captured and I will fight to the last bullet. But the risks are serious. I am extremely proud of all of you and that will never change. So if anyone here thinks that they can’t march forward, I completely understand that. And no one will ever think less of you.

“The women and men of this incredible team looked at me, and finally one of the women came up and said, ‘Sir, what are you talking about?'” Austin said.

He said the women under his command “didn’t bat an eyelid,” even though they faced the same dangers as the men and perhaps more.

“These are the women of the U.S. military,” Austin said. “Everywhere I went to a battlefield, I saw women fighting for America. They are incredibly capable, incredibly successful and incredibly courageous.”

He also highlighted the courage of another soldier who risked his life to save members of his squad who had been pinned down by enemy fire in Iraq.

Austin, who was stationed in Iraq as a one-star general, spoke to the unit immediately after the firefight.

“Once we had evacuated the unit and they were out of danger, I walked up to the young soldier and asked him, ‘Hey, why did you do that? What made you run towards that automatic weapon?'” Austin said. “And I asked him, ‘Weren’t you afraid?'”

The soldier confirmed he was scared out of his mind, Austin said.

“And then he said, ‘But I heard my squad leader’s voice and knew everything was going to be okay,'” Austin said.

He said these “extraordinary patriots” filling the ranks demanded “extraordinary leadership.” He called on the cadets to lead from the front and promote teamwork and self-confidence among the soldiers they lead.

“We are a team. A team,” Austin said. “And in today’s complex national security environment, we don’t have a single warrior left.”

The secretary said the new generation of leaders is emerging at a critical time for global security and American ideals.

“We face serious security challenges today: coercion from the People’s Republic of China; aggression from Putin’s Russia; malice on the part of North Korea, Iran and transnational terrorist groups; and autocrats around the world who insist that the day of democracy is over,” Austin said.

He added that although the cadets would be joining the army under exceptional circumstances, they were up to the task.

“Believe in yourself,” he said. “And confidence in the education, training and confidence you have gained here as cadets.”

WATCH: Austin speaks at West Point