While the ROTC program is not technically part of the U.S. military’s Professional Military Education institutions, it’s America’s foundational program for developing and commissioning new officers out of college—preparing civilians for their first leadership role as junior officers. As much as 70 percent of all Army officers enter the service through ROTC. That makes it a crucial entry point into the PME pipeline, one in which untested young officers are most vulnerable to woke ideology and career derailment.

ROTC isn’t a single program under the Defense Department but is broken down by service. Commissions are offered for all five branches—including the Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps (through NROTC)—but are dominated by the Army, which commissions 50–60% of all officers nationwide. As such, the key reforms we’ve listed below are aimed at the U.S. Army Cadet Command headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky, which oversees more than 1,000 Army ROTC units at colleges across America (out of perhaps 1,400 programs service-wide).

1) America cannot afford to have its ROTC programs transformed into political indoctrination camps for the radical, anti-American Left. The Trump administration must close ROTC programs at leftist colleges run by woke activists—such as those at UC Berkeley, Columbia University, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison—and prioritize increasing enrollment in conservative states whose leaders are aligned with America First goals.

2) Instead of incentivizing more liberal arts graduates, let’s incentivize Air Defense and Artillery positions with commission bonuses and restrict eligible ROTC degrees. Under current rules, Army ROTC cadets can major in any accredited field offered by their university. In practice, that means cadets can enter the officer corps with undergraduate degrees in Ethnic Studies, Human Rights, Gender & Women’s Studies, Peace & Conflict Studies, and Environmental Studies—none of which will help America win wars. Let’s remember that ROTC has one purpose: Prepare the next generation of military officers who will fight and win. Any major that doesn’t achieve that purpose has got to go. At the same time, let’s reward the cadets who bring valuable skills and a warfighter mentality to the service with beefed-up commissioning bonuses.

3) ROTC Cadet Summer Training (CST) standards keep slipping to accommodate “equity and inclusivity” priorities. Let’s get them back on track. Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth has already gone a long way toward restoring rigorous Initial Entry Training fitness standards across the military, so let’s port them over to CST. Summer training should be tougher, and standards should be exacting, not modest, pass-fail events.

4) Ban DEI, CRT, and gender ideology training across all ROTC programs and replace them with mandatory modules on American exceptionalism, constitutional loyalty, and combat ethos. Patriots make the finest warriors, and America deserves the best. But ROTC education must also prize unity and lethality—so gender- or identity-based accommodations in physical fitness standards have got to go, as do transgender servicemen. Last, we must abolish any affirmative action criteria used in scholarships or commissioning. All selections must be based solely on Order of Merit List (OML) scores, emphasizing physical readiness, leadership potential, and academic performance in STEM and other warfighting-relevant academic fields.

Air University is the U.S. Air Force’s professional military education institution, headquartered at Maxwell Air Base in Montgomery, Alabama, near the location of the Wright brothers’ first civilian flying school. It was established in 1945 as the Army Air Forces School, then redesignated Air University in 1946, with the objective of training officers for what would become an independent Air Force. Air University offers 23 different programs—among them, the Air War College—for eligible enlisted Airmen, officers, officers from allied nations, and select civilians in the Department of the Air Force.

Accreditation: Air University’s Masters programs are accredited Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which encourages DEI—but has not mandated it—in university programs. From the association’s Diversity Statement:

“Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion is an opportunity for institutions to recruit students of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities; to support them, adapt teaching methods and use technology to meet their needs and break down barriers to learning; and to successfully guide, mentor, retain, and graduate them. Equally important is the opportunity to recruit a diverse faculty and staff that reflects the larger society.”

However, it’s worth noting the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is the only accrediting organization in the nation which has declined to mandate DEI requirements.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: Under the Biden administration, Air University adopted aggressive DEI programs and policies, many of which have been rolled back under the Trump administration. For example, the university offered a three-day “Leading Inclusively Virtual Experience” course “to help grow inclusive-minded leaders.” Students used virtual reality conversations ” to engage in difficult diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) conversations.” That program was led from 2022 to January 2025 by then-Lt. Col. Lisa Stokey, Division Chief of Leaning In Virtual Experience, whose LinkedIn profile boasts of her “Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI)” and “Diversity Training” skills.

National Defense University (NDU) has encouraged joint higher education for all branches of the U.S. military and national defense community since its creation in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., NDU consists of five colleges and schools: National War College, Joint Forces Staff College, College of International Security Affairs, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, and College of Information and Cyberspace.

Accreditation: NDU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which has criticized President Trump’s executive order barring wokeness in college accreditation agencies. In 2020, the commission aggressively promoted DEI with a “project to spotlight highly-effective institutional practices that have made a difference in the lives of our students through diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives . . . [to] fulfill our responsibilities of promoting a more just society.”

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: Beginning with the Obama administration, NDU has participated in a UN program to promote “Women, Peace, & Security” (WPS) to ensure “the meaningful participation of women in all decision-making,” including “minoritized gender groups (including LGBTQ+)” in alignment with DEI mandates. The Biden-era Air Force, for instance, adopted “Gender Network of Gender Focal Points” and “Gender Advisors” to “employ gender analysis across all functions.”

NDU promoted an annual Women, Peace, and Security Writing Award competition that paid winning essays that examined the areas of “Women and Conflict Resolution,” “Women’s Roles in Conflict Prevention,” and “National and International Stakeholders’ Respective Roles in Setting and Advancing the WPS Agenda.” “NDU will continue to support writing as a means of promoting awareness to WPS issues,” according to the program. Dr. Andrew Leith, a professor at the Eisenhower School, was among the WPS Selection Committee members who remains on faculty.

National War College aggressively promoted DEI in its 2023–24 academic catalogue, which included a diversity statement. One of its affinity groups was “Women in National Security,” whose goal was “promoting diversity and ensuring a fuller, more inclusive understanding of national security challenges and policymaking.” Another affinity group: “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility,” established “to discuss enhancing awareness and action in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

From the College of Information and Cyberspace academic catalogue: “Equity, diversity, and inclusion are principles fundamental to our productivity and effectiveness.”

NWC is the U.S. Navy’s premier PME institution, located in Newport, Rhode Island, with a satellite division at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California. The college offers a Master’s degree in Defense and Strategic Studies degrees focusing on maritime strategy, warfare, and national security to Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers grades O-3 and above, and officers O-4 and above from other branches. Federal civilians grade GS-11 and above and select federal staff are also eligible.

Accreditation: Nongovernmental organizations have no place in approving, or accrediting, military college curricula. Yet the NWC is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, which emphasizes diversity goals for both student admissions and staff hiring.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: The NWC has pushed DEI since at least 2014, beginning with a new provost hired specifically to meet the Obama administration’s “commitment to diversity.” In 2015, minutes from a Board of Advisors joint meeting of the NWC and Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) indicated both institutions’ leadership was concerned about “ethnic and gender diversity,” concluding they needed to define what the faculty council should “look like.”

In 2017, NWC advisors established an initiative to “explore the question of gender equity at the institution.” In 2022, the advisors hired a Chief of Inclusion and Diversity Officer to develop and deliver “a comprehensive and strategy equity, diversity and inclusion” program. A year later in 2023, the NWC held a conference promoting DEI that asserted, “Diversity without a culture of inclusion is not only a hypocritical maneuver but also wasteful and dangerous.”

The NWC course catalog for 2024–25 states that NWC embraces diversity and inclusiveness.

Woke and Non-Military Leadership: NWC president and Rear Admiral Darryl Walker is a key driver of DEI policies at the college. Prior to leading NWC, Walker was Diversity Director for the Naval Air Forces.

Other woke leadership include Doyle Hodges, Dean of Academics; Jeffrey Macris, Dean of College of Leadership and Ethics; and Hayat Alvi, Adjunct Professor (who lacks professional military experience).

A number of NWC officials have never served in the Armed Forces. They include: Mary Thompson-Jones, Chair of Women in National Security and Diplomacy; Sair Yamin, Chair of Women, Peace, and Security; Andrew R. Wilson, Chair of Asia-Pacific Studies; Peter J. Dombrowski, Chair of National Security Economics; Timothy D. Hoyt, Chair of Counterterrorism; and Michael H. Bush, Associate Provost for Academic Studies.

Courses That Don’t Belong: While the bulk of NWC’s course catalogue is dedicated to topics that improve warfighting and warrior support capabilities, a number focus on feminism and climate change and should be removed: Climate Change & National Security (EL 775); Climate Security Around the World (EL 775B); The History of Women in War and Combat: The Distinguished Outsiders (EL 604); Women, Peace, and Security (EL 798); and Women, War, and Peace (EL 820).

NPS, located in Monterey, California, offers advanced degrees and research programs in engineering, cybersecurity, defense analysis, and space systems. Officers from all branches are eligible, as are general Defense Department and certain U.S. government officials (with sponsorship from their employing agency).

Accreditation: Like other institutions, NPS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges  Senior College and University Commission (WSCUS). Until recently, WSCUS required universities comply with its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion standards to obtain accreditation. Although WSCUS has put a “stay” on DEI requirements to comply with President Trump’s executive order on accreditation, that doesn’t go far enough—NPS should not seek accreditation from any non-military organization, whatsoever. Period.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: In May 2025, NPS president Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau (Ret.) finalized an education partnership agreement with CSU Monterey Bay that “directly supports broader university goals around equity, inclusion, and access to opportunity in STEM fields.” Rondeau has previously said a “diverse student body” will solve the military’s problems.

Non-Military Leadership: A number of senior leadership positions are currently held by civilians who have not served in uniform, among them: James Bret Michael, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; Jomana Amara, Vice Provost for Academic Leadership; Edward M. Corrado, University Librarian; Ralucca Gera, Chair of Applied Mathematics; Dr. Gurminder Singh, Chair of Computer Science; Michael E. Freeman, Chair of Defense Analysis; Douglas Fouts, Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Garth Hobson, Chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Wendell Nuss, Chair of Meteorology; Peter Chu, Chair of Oceanography; David Alderson, Chair of Operations Research; Kevin Smith, Chair of Physics; and Oleg Yakimenko, Soviet-born Chair of Systems Engineering.

Courses that Don’t Belong: While the bulk of NPS’ course catalogue is dedicated to warfighting and warrior support, a number should be cut. Among them: Anthropology, Media, and War, which teaches “implicit forms of ideology . . . in memes”; Seminar in Stoic Ethics; Russian Film and Fiction; and Politics, Film and Fiction in Latin America, which emphasizes social science.

USAWC is the Army’s premier professional military education institution, located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It offers a Master of Strategic Studies degree to senior military officers (O-5 and above) in all branches, as well as those from allied nations. Select senior federal civilians (GS-14 and above) and interagency personnel may also attend. Programs emphasize land power, leadership, national security strategy, and joint service operations.

Accreditation: Like other PMEs, the USAWC curricula is approved, or accredited, by a nongovernmental organization: the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which has aggressively promoted DEI as part of its criteria for accreditation. In 2018 and 2020, the commission submitted amicus briefs defending race-based college admissions (ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard) arguing, “we too have a voice and responsibility in promoting social justice [and] standing against systemic racism.”

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: Under the Obama, Biden, and first Trump administrations, USAWC promoted DEI studies and research as a national security issue. That changed under the second Trump administration, which cracked down on the practice under Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth and has begun a sitewide content review to maintain compliance with his order. That includes removing inappropriate or subversive books promoting gender ideology and critical race theory from the war college library.

There’s a good reason why. The USAWC pressroom promoted articles such as “Toward a Racially Inclusive Military” that accused the Armed Forces and American society of “racialized structural inequalities and related social biases . . . [that] hinder diversity and inclusion efforts necessary to maintain a ready force.” Now, at least 50 articles and podcast episodes published by USAWC’s online journal, War Room, promoting “unconscious bias,” feminism, transgenderism, and other woke topics have been scrubbed from the site.

What did these posts promote? In June 2021, War Room published the transcript from one such podcast episode, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The DOD’s Role,” by USAWC professor Ron Granieri, Col. Rebecca K. Connally, Col. Adisa King, and Lt. Col. Aixa Dones. From the podcast: “We all think it’s, you do ABC and you get to diversity and boom, we’re done. No, it is a continuous process that goes on. Again, the whole point of my conversation was we need to start the dialogue. Understand our biases and get down to the nitty gritty of how we can engage in this whole process.”

USAWC has also published research articles arguing that “deteriorating climate/weather conditions impact U.S. national security and U.S. military missions” and that the U.S. Army is “precariously underprepared” for climate change.

Woke and Non-Military Leadership: A number of USAWC professors have never served in uniform, while others have promoted woke narratives. Professor of History Ron Granieri, for instance, has retweeted left-leaning Juneteenth tweets and criticized Republican Sen. Josh Hawley on non-military policy. Granieri was also interviewed on television attacking President Trump during the classified documents trial; he previously attacked him during the first Trump administration with thin accusations of racism (“hostility to immigration”) and promoting the disproven Russian hacking hoax.

Other senior faculty with no military experience include Arzan Tarapore, visiting professor and Stanford University research scholar; Brian Carlson, professor of Indo-Pacific Security Studies; Jake Rinaldi, China Landpower Studies Center researcher; and John Deni, professor of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational Security Studies.