Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has signed a directive ordering the Military Departments to immediately terminate the practice of appointing civilian faculty to tenured positions at the U.S. Military Service Academies.
The Department of War said the move continues its reform of military educational institutions to ensure they remain "laser-focused on lethality and readiness." According to the release, the directive directly addresses "the critical issues of academic stagnation and complacency that are often associated with tenure, and which threaten to dilute the academies' primary focus on warfighting and tactical dominance."
In place of tenure, the Military Departments will implement new hiring plans intended to prioritize flexibility and faculty contribution to the warfighting mission. The department said the change is meant to ensure future officers are "unequivocally prepared to lead our Service members and win on the modern battlefield."
The directive was announced on Sept. 29, 2026, and is accompanied by a memo titled "Refocusing the Military Service Academies on Warfighter Education."