演讲文本

Like Eisenhower, this generation of men and women in uniform know all too well the wages of war and that includes those of you here at West Point
同艾森豪威尔一样 这一代身着军装的年轻人 也都非常清楚战争的代价 你们西点人肯定知道这一点
Four of the servicemembers who stood in the audience when I announced the surge of our forces in Afghanistan gave their lives in that effort
在我宣布阿富汗增兵计划时 站在台下的听众中 有四名军人 为这一计划献出了生命
A lot more were wounded I believe America's security demanded those deployments
受伤的人数就更多了 我相信 美国安全需要这些布署
But I am haunted by those deaths
但我对这些逝去的生命无法释怀
I am haunted by those wounds
我对这么多人的负伤无法释怀
And I would betray my duty to you and to the country we love if I ever sent you into harm's way simply because I saw a problem somewhere in the world that needed to be fixed
我将背离自己的职责和对祖国的热爱 如果我将你们置于险境 仅仅因为我认为世界某地有问题需要解决
or because I was worried about critics who think military intervention is the only way for America to avoid looking weak
仅仅因为我害怕军事干涉主义者的批评 仅仅因为我害怕美国示弱 助长敌人的嚣张气焰
Here's my bottom line: America must always lead on the world stage
总而言之 美国必须在世界舞台上扮演领导角色
If we don't, no one else will
如果美国不站出来领导 谁都不会站出来
The military that you have joined is and always will be the backbone of that leadership
你们加入的军队无论现在还是将来 都将一直是美国领导权的支柱
But U.S. military action cannot be the only or even primary component of our leadership in every instance
不过军事行动 不能成为美国实现领导权的唯一手段 军事行动甚至连主要手段都不应当是
Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail
不能因为我们手中拥有最好的铁锤 就把每个问题都当成钉子
And because the costs associated with military action are so high
原因在于 军事行动的代价太过高昂
you should expect every civilian leader and especially your Commander-in-Chief to be clear about how that awesome power should be used
每一位文职领导人 特别是三军统帅 应当清楚该如何使用强大的军事力量
So let me spend the rest of my time describing my vision for how the United States of America and our military should lead in the years to come
下面请允许我将剩下的时间 用来描述我所理解的美利坚合众国应当如何在未来使用军事力量

人物简介和演讲视频

人物简介
本视频是美国总统奥巴马5月28日在西点军校毕业典礼上的演讲，奥巴马强调美国并没有衰落，而是一如既往的强盛，甚至在一些方面比以往任何时候都更加强盛。演讲通篇强调美国在新世纪的领导地位，奥巴马指出美国要考虑的问题不是“能否领导”，而是“如何领导”，并对未来的美国领导方式提出了几点要求。演讲中还涉及到了中国在南海同东南亚国家的争端，表达出美国及其盟友对中国经济崛起和军事扩张的不安。