Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Thursday night the creation of a new task force to review America's senior military colleges, saying the institutions must focus on preparing officers to win wars and not promote "toxic ideology."
The task force, to be established by Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata, will conduct a top-to-bottom evaluation of major professional military education institutions, including the Army War College, National Defense University, the Naval War College, Marine Corps University, and the Air War College.
The group will have 90 days to produce a report on whether the schools are "actually effective" and focused on core national security priorities.
In a video statement posted to X, Hegseth said the review is necessary to ensure military education produces "real leaders and warfighters who dominate into the future," rather than graduates influenced by ideological trends that critics say have spread across higher education.
"Professional Military Education should produce warfighters and leaders — not wokesters," Hegseth wrote on X. "That's why we are establishing a Task Force to evaluate our Senior Service Colleges and ensure the focus is where it belongs. No distractions. Just warfighting."
He added, "After the wokeness and weakness of Joe Biden's administration, our warfighters deserve training with integrity, where the focus is on the warrior ethos, on deterrence, and on strength."
Hegseth argued that some civilian universities have embraced courses and academic programs that promote anti-American attitudes, citing examples such as "whiteness studies," programs advocating the abolition of law enforcement, and classes praising radical movements.
Such trends, he warned, cultivate a "radical hate-America agenda" that has no place in the training of U.S. military leaders.
"The truth is they help cultivate a radical hate-America agenda, and we can't afford that same toxic ideology in America's War Department," Hegseth said in the video statement. "It degrades our readiness, it's a risk to our forces, and it undermines our mission of peace through strength."
Hegseth said the task force will review professors, administrators, and curricula to ensure the colleges emphasize national security strategy, military history, and merit-based leadership.
The goal, he said, is to confirm that "high standards and meritocracy are at the forefront" of military education and that the schools remain focused on preparing officers to fight and win wars.
War colleges provide advanced professional military education to senior officers, Pentagon civilians, and international partners, typically focusing on strategy, joint operations, and national security policy.
The review comes as the Pentagon has already begun cutting ties with several elite civilian universities that Hegseth says promote "toxic indoctrination" and anti-military bias.
Hegseth said the new review will ensure the Pentagon holds its own institutions to the same standard.
"If we're pulling officers out of civilian universities because they're too woke," he said, "then we better make sure our own universities are prepared to do the task properly."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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