{"id":2433648,"date":"2025-05-12T12:41:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T16:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-orders-merit-based-admissions-at-military-academies\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T12:43:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T16:43:20","slug":"hegseth-orders-merit-based-admissions-at-military-academies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-orders-merit-based-admissions-at-military-academies\/","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth Orders Merit-Based Admissions At Military Academies"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhegseth-orders-merit-based-admissions-at-military-academies%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2433648&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently announced the reinstatement of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/san-francisco-votes-on-recall-of-three-school-board-members\/\" title=\"San Francisco Votes on Recall of Three School Board Members\">merit-based admissions policies<\/a> for U.S.military academies through a memo.He emphasized that these elite institutions should select candidates based solely on merit, urging that race, ethnicity, and sex should not influence admissions decisions. The memo instructs military department secretaries to ensure that for the 2026 admissions cycle and beyond, admissions will focus on merit alone, possibly considering unique athletic abilities or prior military experience.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, military academies have been directed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ten-house-republicans-voted-to-impeach-trump-heres-what-happened-to-them\/\" title=\"Ten House Republicans Voted To Impeach Trump \u2014 Here\u2019s What Happened To Them\">rank candidates based<\/a> on merit scores, with the highest-ranked candidates expected to recieve appointments. This directive aligns with another memo Hegseth signed earlier in the year, which prohibits sex-based or race-based goals in admissions or career fields within military departments. The memo reflects ongoing efforts to eliminate divisive policies relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion from military and federal institutions. <\/p>\n<p>On the same day, an additional directive concerning the review of educational materials promoting &#8220;divisive concepts and gender ideology&#8221; within military educational institutions was issued, reiterating a focus on training competent military leaders.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:250401-D-PM193-1931_250401-D-PM193-1191_Secretary_of_Defense_Pete_Hegseth_meets_with_midshipmen_during_his_visit_to_the_U.S._Naval_Academy,_Maryland,_April_1,_2025.jpg\">Alexander Kubitza\/U.S. Secretary of Defense\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/12\/hegseth-orders-return-to-merit-based-admissions-policies-at-military-academies\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Hegseth%20Orders%20Return%20To%20Merit-Based%20Admissions%20Policies%20At%20Military%20Academies&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/12\/hegseth-orders-return-to-merit-based-admissions-policies-at-military-academies\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Hegseth%20Orders%20Return%20To%20Merit-Based%20Admissions%20Policies%20At%20Military%20Academies&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/12\/hegseth-orders-return-to-merit-based-admissions-policies-at-military-academies\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/12\/hegseth-orders-return-to-merit-based-admissions-policies-at-military-academies\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Hegseth%20Orders%20Return%20To%20Merit-Based%20Admissions%20Policies%20At%20Military%20Academies&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/12\/hegseth-orders-return-to-merit-based-admissions-policies-at-military-academies\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2025\/May\/09\/2003707514\/-1\/-1\/1\/CERTIFICATION-OF-MERIT-BASED-MILITARY-SERVICE-ACADEMY-ADMISSIONS.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">memo<\/a> on Friday ordering the return to merit-based admissions policies at America&rsquo;s military academies. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Military Service Academies (MSA) are elite warfighting institutions with long histories of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >producing world class military officers<\/a>. The Department owes it to our Nation, our Service members, and the young Americans applying to the MSAs to ensure admissions to these prestigious institutions are based exclusively on merit,&rdquo; Hegseth wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-73424949\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The memo directs the secretaries of the military departments to &ldquo;certify within 30 days that, for purposes of the 2026 MSA admissions cycle, as well as all subsequent admissions cycles,&rdquo; that the military schools&rsquo; admissions offices will &ldquo;[a]pply no consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex&rdquo; and &ldquo;[o]ffer admission based exclusively on merit.&rdquo; &ldquo;Merit-based scores,&rdquo; the memo adds, &ldquo;may give weight to unique athletic talent or other experiences such as prior military service or performance at a MSA preparatory school.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Service academies are further instructed to &ldquo;rank-order candidates by merit-based scores within each nomination category&rdquo; as specified under federal law. It is expected that those who are ranked the highest under such a system &ldquo;should receive appointments.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The directive builds upon a separate memo <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2025\/Jan\/29\/2003634987\/-1\/-1\/1\/RESTORING-AMERICAS-FIGHTING-FORCE.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed<\/a> by Hegseth in late January, which stipulates, &ldquo;No DoD Component will establish sex-based, race-based, or ethnicity-based goals for organizational composition, academic admission, or career fields.&rdquo; Both orders come as part of the Trump administration&rsquo;s efforts to eradicate divisive and discriminatory <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dei\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DEI<\/a> policies from the military and federal government. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/09\/how-dei-left-service-academies-in-a-state-of-decay-and-how-trump-can-fix-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How DEI Left Service Academies In A &lsquo;State Of Decay,&rsquo; And How Trump Can Fix It<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The use of race-based admissions standards has been a persistent issue engulfing America&rsquo;s military academies for years. Former West Point and Naval Academy instructors previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/09\/how-dei-left-service-academies-in-a-state-of-decay-and-how-trump-can-fix-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> The Federalist about their purported experiences with such policies and how many students are &ldquo;very aware&rdquo; of their existence. <\/p>\n<p>Friday&rsquo;s memo came the same day Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Timothy Dill signed a <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2025\/May\/09\/2003707607\/-1\/-1\/1\/REVIEWING-THE-DEPARTMENTS-MILITARY-EDUCATIONAL-INSTITUTION-LIBRARY-COLLECTIONS.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">directive<\/a> ordering a review of all &ldquo;educational materials&rdquo; within the libraries of the Pentagon&rsquo;s service academies and war colleges that promote &ldquo;divisive concepts and gender ideology.&rdquo; Much like Hegseth&rsquo;s memo, Dill&rsquo;s edict seeks to comply with the defense secretary&rsquo;s late January order. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The sole focus of the Department&rsquo;s military educational institutions (MEIs), including the War Colleges and the Military Service Academies, is to train and educate the world&rsquo;s finest military leaders in support of that core mission,&rdquo; Dill&rsquo;s memo reads.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/affirmative-action\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">affirmative action<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/air-force-academy\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Air Force Academy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/defense-department\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Defense Department<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dei\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">DEI<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/meritocracy\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">meritocracy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/military\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">military<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/military-academies\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">military academies<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/naval-academy\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Naval Academy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pete Hegseth<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/west-point\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">West Point<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo reinstating merit-based admissions at U.S. military academies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2433649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Pete-Hegseth-2.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[35136,45173,50402,55076,40922],"class_list":["post-2433648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-education-policy","tag-hegseth","tag-leadership-2","tag-merit-based-admissions","tag-military-academies"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Pete-Hegseth-2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2433648"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2433652,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433648\/revisions\/2433652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2433649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2433648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2433648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2433648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}