Latest news with #militaryEducation
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
What Has Trump Done to West Point?
To the Editor: Re 'West Point Is Supposed to Educate, Not Indoctrinate,' by Graham Parsons (Opinion guest essay, May 12): Dr. Parsons' rebuke of the Trump administration's chokehold on academic freedom and its attack on 'broad-based, critical-minded, nonpartisan education' at West Point attests to a rare character trait: courage. I am a former Air Force captain trained under the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in the 1980s. My fellow cadets and I were exposed to every type of scholarship and viewpoint that our civilian university had to offer. Many of us availed ourselves of diverse courses in which we could listen to the opinions of our professors and other students and test their theories and ideas against our own viewpoints and ideologies. I believe that those lessons, experienced in concert with our military training, made us better informed, more critically thinking Air Force officers when it came time to lead and follow our oaths to our Constitution while in uniform and beyond. The fact that the Trump administration believes that hobbling the minds of our future officers is in our national interest betrays the president's lack of confidence in the men and women in uniform who must be experts in leadership, history, ethics, democracy and our Constitution, warts and all. May we have the courage to defend their right to knowledge.
Reuters
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US military ordered to pull books on diversity, gender issues
WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - The Pentagon ordered military educational institutions to pull and review any books that promote what it called "divisive concepts and gender ideology" on Friday, in the latest move from President Donald Trump's administration against diversity, equity and inclusion. Since taking office in January, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has eliminated diversity initiatives at the Pentagon, ended commemorations of identity month celebrations like Black History Month, and removed some books from the Naval Academy, including the memoir of celebrated Black author Maya Angelou. In a new memo, the Pentagon said that educational materials "promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the Department's core mission." It said the military would identify and sequester any such material, and then dispose of it after a review process. The memo said a temporary committee comprised of leaders, educators, and library professionals from across the military would identify the books and carry out the review. In an attachment, the memo listed a number of terms to use to help in searching for books, including "diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)," "anti-racism," and "white privilege." DEI programs seek to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities and other traditionally underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates argue such programs, generally backed by Democrats, are needed to address longstanding inequities and structural racism. They have come under attack from conservatives, who say race- and gender-focused initiatives are inherently discriminatory and fail to prioritize merit. In February, Hegseth chided past celebrations of the U.S. military's diversity in a broad address to Pentagon staff. "I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is our diversity is our strength," Hegseth said.
