Trump Demands 'Instant Removal' of Military Academy Board Members

President Donald Trump wasted no time on Monday, declaring early that he had issued an order for the "immediate dismissal" of the Board of Visitors overseeing the three leading U.S. service academies: the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York; the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Trump shared his decision with the public through his social media platform, Truth Social, explaining his intent to bolster the military's strength by installing new board members who align with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's goal of eliminating "woke leftist ideologues" from the military.

The Board of Visitors acts as an advisory body.

"Over the past four years, our service academies have been compromised by woke leftist ideologues," Trump stated. "I have directed the immediate removal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard."
"We aim to build the strongest military in history, starting with new appointments to these Boards. We must make our Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!" he concluded.

This announcement followed closely on the heels of a similar statement from Hegseth, who had recently met with academy leaders. He expressed satisfaction with the steps to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the academies.

"I recently met with the heads of @westpoint_USMA, @navalacademy, and @af_academy," Hegseth posted on X. "My directive was clear: focus on leadership, standards, excellence, combat readiness, and warfighting. These are MILITARY academies, not liberal arts colleges."
"I am encouraged by the reforms already in motion and eager to visit these institutions. Social Justice and DEI are no more; we're emphasizing History, Engineering, and War Studies," he added. "Reviving the warrior spirit in the @deptofdefense begins with our future leaders."

Even before his confirmation, Hegseth had emphasized his commitment to eliminating DEI programs from the military, aiming to restore traditional military values and ensure the readiness and lethality of the U.S. armed forces.