Brief
Pentagon ends tenure for civilian faculty at U.S. service academies
Secretary Pete Hegseth's memo says the move is meant to keep academy curricula focused on warfighting.
By Felo News Desk · Published
The U.S. Defense Department will no longer grant tenure to civilian faculty at the nation’s three service academies, according to a memo signed on Tuesday by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The memo says the change is intended to refocus the academies on their warfighting mission, arguing that civilian academic norms have diluted that focus. Existing tenured faculty would retain their status, the memo adds.
West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy did not immediately respond to inquiries, and Pentagon officials declined further comment.
The memo notes that civilian faculty make up about half of the Naval Academy’s 600 instructors, while the proportion is lower at the other academies. Civilian professors are hired to teach subjects such as English and the humanities that are not covered in officer training.
Hegseth’s directive follows broader conservative efforts to curb tenure in higher education, which critics say often target faculty with liberal viewpoints. The memo describes tenure as contributing to “academic stagnation, faculty complacency, and institutional inability to adapt to emerging needs.”
Key facts
- The Defense Department will stop granting tenure to civilian faculty at the U.S. service academies. (independent.co.uk)
- The memo was signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday. (independent.co.uk)
- Existing tenured civilian faculty will keep their tenure. (independent.co.uk)
- Civilian faculty comprise roughly half of the Naval Academy’s 600 instructors. (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “Military academies won't give tenure to civilian faculty, Hegseth says”
