Pete Hegseth Orders U.S. Military Colleges to Put Victory First in Sweeping Overhaul of Officer Education

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a sweeping overhaul of military education, arguing that preparing future commanders to win wars must take precedence over academic credentials and what he described as ideological indoctrination.

Speaking at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, on Monday, November 9, Hegseth said ethics, logistics, administration and diplomacy remained important, but ultimately served the objective of military victory.

“If our military fails to win our nation’s war, none of the secondary virtues will matter,” he warned. “The republic does not survive to debate them.”

Hegseth insisted that Americans expect decisive victories, not prolonged conflicts ending in stalemate.

“The American people do not entrust their blood, their treasure, or their sons and daughters in our armed forces to lose or to fight to a draw,” he said. “They expect, they demand, they deserve nothing less than victory.”

He accused military institutions of adopting intellectual fashions from civilian universities, arguing that higher education increasingly teaches students “what to think” rather than “how to think.”

Hegseth cited North Korean defector Yeonmi Park’s criticism of Columbia University, saying she had compared its ideological environment unfavorably with propaganda in North Korea. He also described Brown University as even more ideologically rigid than Columbia or Harvard, noting that the Pentagon had terminated a partnership with Brown.

“Just look at the mission statements from across our colleges,” he said. According to his review, “win” and “defeat” were entirely absent, while “victory” appeared only once.

“This is the language of civilian bureaucracy, not military command,” he argued.

The reforms announced Monday include bringing experienced combat officers into military classrooms, expanding realistic war games and examinations, changing civilian faculty employment arrangements and modernizing secure training facilities.

Separately, Hegseth defended Trump’s decision to wage war against Iran, arguing that necessary military action does not always command public support.

“Someone had to confront the Iranian regime,” he said. “You can’t let crazy Islamists have a nuclear bomb.”

He predicted that history would judge Trump favorably for confronting what the administration considers Iran’s nuclear threat. His remarks did not establish that Tehran possessed a nuclear weapon.

Hegseth also dismissed the prospect of impeachment as Republican Representative Thomas Massie pursued a resolution challenging his conduct of the Iran war.

“We’re not worried about impeachment,” he told reporters, announcing a news conference for Tuesday, November 10, to address the matter.