On Saturday, President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address to the class of 2025 at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Presidents normally deliver graduation remarks at one of our nation’s service academies each year. Trump spoke to the class of 2020 during his first term.

Commencement speeches are difficult. They are intended to celebrate the students upon their graduation and offer words of encouragement and guidance as they transition into the next phase of their lives. I imagine most speakers hope they might say something that graduates will remember in future, but we must admit that most fail.

But military academy graduations are unique. Unlike other college graduations, every cadet about to receive a diploma knows what their first job is going to be and where.

I was one of those cadets over 50 years ago and remember the day well. Our speaker was Gen. William Westmoreland, who had recently returned from command in Vietnam and assumed responsibilities as Army chief of staff.

All my classmates were excited that the day we had long awaited had finally arrived. Each of us privately had a bit of trepidation about what the future might bring. We also knew it was the last time we would all be together. So, if I were able to tell Trump or his speechwriters what suggestions might I make?

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to dismiss 10% of active duty general or flag officers and eliminate 20% of four-star general officer positions in the active-duty military was announced in a memo that says the Pentagon “must cultivate exceptional senior leaders who drive innovation and operational excellence.” But we’re all left wondering: What problem does this planned reduction solve? Or is it the Trump administration’s indictment of the current senior leadership of the United States military?

What analysis was conducted that resulted in these proposed reductions, or are they just arbitrary percentages? The American public deserves to know the strategy that’s motivating this plan.

The Pentagon’s May 5 memorandum for senior leadership also directed a 20% reduction in general officers in the National Guard. Said memo provides few details on how this is to be effected and sets no deadline. But this effort will unquestionably have a profound impact not only on our nation’s military leadership but also the direction of American national security policy in the future…

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President Putin has insisted that an end to the war could only occur if the “root causes” of the conflict were addressed. He further argued that Moscow viewed these as non-negotiable and had to be dealt with if a stable peace was to be achieved. Putin has been very consistent with these demands, and they have been frequently echoed by his Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Presidential Press Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, and other Russian officials…