Hegseth orders overhaul of U.S. senior military colleges: no tenure for new civilian faculty, 33 requirements

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered an overhaul of the senior service colleges that educate the United States military’s future senior leaders, telling students and faculty at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, on 9 November that their primary task must be “teaching victory”.

The announcement follows a review of curriculum at military service schools that Hegseth directed in March. According to the U.S. Naval War College, the review was led by Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata, who travelled to Newport with the Secretary, and carried out by a purpose-formed Senior Service College Task Force.

What Hegseth said

Speaking to nearly 700 students, faculty and staff in the college’s Spruance Hall, Hegseth said the fundamental duty of the Armed Forces of the United States is “to assure America’s victory in war”. He described victory as the “ultimate screening criteria” against which every regulation, doctrine, budget dollar and academic syllabus should be judged.

The senior service colleges, he said, must be forging senior military leaders who are intellectually, ethically and operationally prepared to deter, and if necessary defeat, enemies in combat. He also credited the Naval War College with running two wargames this year that he described as “super intelligence-enhanced”.

The 33 requirements

A memorandum the Secretary issued on the day of the speech sets out 33 implementation requirements. The Naval War College’s account highlights four of them:

• Warfighter Chairs: elite positions at all senior colleges, to be filled by high-performing O-5 and O-6 commanders who have just returned from operational deployments, bringing recent combat lessons into the classroom.
• Faculty accountability: no lifetime tenure or emeritus status for newly hired civilian faculty, who would instead serve on three-year contracts judged on teaching effectiveness and national security research.
• Oversight: the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness is to track every tasked requirement directly to ensure rapid execution.
• Wargames and exams: standardised end-of-course wargames and comprehensive exams replace subjective seminar grading.

Rear Adm. Darryl Walker, president of the Naval War College, called the visit an extraordinary opportunity for students, faculty and staff to hear from the head of the Department of War. He said the college exists to educate military officers to take command and lead forces “to victory on the battlefield”, and that the Secretary’s priorities will continue to guide its programmes and curriculum.

Context

The reform comes as Hegseth faces political scrutiny in Washington. Geopolitiki has reported on the push in the House for a vote on his impeachment, and on Congress’s promise of intensive Pentagon oversight: Hegseth impeachment: Massie will force a House vote if he does not resign, and Adam Smith promises intensive Pentagon oversight.

The Naval War College was established in 1884. The sources read do not say when the 33 requirements are due to take effect, or how many colleges are covered beyond the senior service colleges in general.