Pete Hegseth accused U.S. war colleges of quietly defying Donald Trump‘s executive orders and announced 33 directives to reshape military education. All of this is happening while the Pentagon chief faces a renewed impeachment drive in Congress.
What Pete Hegseth said about military education and combat readiness
Hegseth announced on Monday at the Naval War College in Rhode Island, where he criticized his audience directly. He claimed faculty and staff were trying “to wait out President Trump’s term in office” and “quietly preserve false and sinister progressive” teaching. He then announced 33 directives meant to overhaul how the Army, Navy and Air Force prepare future commanders.
The Pentagon will push war colleges toward combat readiness, replacing long theoretical research papers with competitive, AI-assisted war games and high-pressure exercises. Hegseth also wants tighter oversight of academic institutions and their faculty.
The Secretary of War argued the schools had drifted from their purpose. He described “an undercurrent of passive-aggressive institutional resistance.” He then said that the colleges were losing sight of their core mission: winning wars.
“Exploration of ideas and freedom of debate exist not for their own sake, but for finding ways to outthink and outkill our enemies on the battlefield,” he said.
Hegseth also warned that “toxic and destructive ideas, ideas that corrupted our universities, have little by little crept into our war colleges.” The reforms, he said, would “reinforce military education, focus on winning our nation’s wars.” Adding that “reinforcing each person’s oath to our Constitution.”
Critics expect a fight over the overhaul, arguing it imposes ideology on the military or stifles academic freedom. The changes land amid a wider Pentagon shake-up. At least 20 senior military and civilian officials have been fired, forced out, or departed under Pete Hegseth.
He himself has been accused of high crimes and misdemeanors under Thomas Massie’s eight articles of impeachment.
