President Joe Biden told graduating cadets at the United States Coast Guard Academy the world has reached a “significant inflection point” with natural disasters, national security threats, and actions on the water by China and Russia. Still, Biden said that protecting American “economic vitality” would prove essential to ensuring the nation’s security, echoing his pitch for sweeping new infrastructure legislation.

“For decades, the United States has underwritten international maritime security. We and our partners have kept the sea lanes open and secure with clear rules of the road,” he told the academy’s 140th commencement ceremony, his first appearance before the graduates since taking office. “Increasingly, we’ve seen those rules challenged.”