Pete Hegseth could overhaul Department of Defense-led schools as part of a crusade against “wokeness” in the nation’s military and education system. And he’s garnering considerable support — including from many of the senators who will decide the fate of his nomination.
Hegseth hasn’t offered any specifics about what he’ll do to the Department of Defense Education Activity, the federally operated school system that serves children of service members, or to military higher education institutions. But these schools lie at the intersection of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the military and public education, both of which Hegseth and others in the Trump administration have vowed to crack down on.
Some Republicans said they are fully on board with Hegseth’s vision for military education ahead of his Jan. 14 confirmation hearing.
“One thing that Pete Hegseth has got to do early is get it straight and get people in the leadership roles in the academies that’s going to take no for an answer when it comes to woke,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville told NOTUS.
Rep. Robert Aderholt, a fellow Alabama Republican, told NOTUS that he agrees with the changes Hegseth wants to make regarding removing what he called “woke things” from the military.
“I agree with his policies wholeheartedly,” he said. “I’m one of those that believe that women shouldn’t be in combat. Not that they shouldn’t serve in the military … I’ve got a young daughter, and so I can’t imagine her being in combat.”
As defense secretary, Hegseth would have considerable power to shape education at military academies — which are embroiled in affirmative action lawsuits — and at schools for children of service members. That includes both appointment powers and potential pressure on leaders of those academies, experts told NOTUS.
“It’s not like he’s seeking war authority where he actually has to go through Congress for every single thing he wants to do,” Victor LaGroon, the former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs chief diversity officer, told NOTUS.
“The real question will be whether the leaders of the academies feel the political pressure to make change within our academy systems,” he added. “And I know that the alumni are really interested in seeing that the military stay above the fray and under the political atmosphere that Trump and his appointees are creating.”
The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment about Hegseth’s plans for military education.
While Congress controls funding for the Department of Defense, Hegseth would be able to appoint a head of the Department of Defense Education Activity. Max Eden, a fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, said he expects Hegseth to appoint a new director whose priorities align with his.
Eden predicted that rather than a complete overhaul of the schools’ DEI efforts — which might not be possible — Hegseth would influence specific measures like surveying military parents and launching inquiries into the use of concepts like critical race theory in DoDEA classrooms. Some of these changes could be reversed, others might be longer-lasting, he said.
“DoDEA schools operate in a more military chain-of-command-style structure than your traditional public school districts, and so the director of DoDEA has substantially more discretionary authority over his school system,” Eden told NOTUS.
Many congressional Republicans support limiting diversity efforts. Eighteen House Republicans sent a letter to the Pentagon this summer expressing concerns about diversity, equity and inclusion in schools for service members’ kids.
Republicans successfully pressured the Pentagon to disband the Department of Defense Education Activity’s DEI unit in 2023, though then-Director Tom Brady simply moved staff members from that unit into other roles in the education wing.
Republican lawmakers also took a stab at DEI-related positions in the NDAA for fiscal year 2025 — the law includes a measure that puts a hiring freeze on DEI staff and bars the defense secretary from creating any new DEI roles.
Sen. Rick Scott told NOTUS that he’s met with Hegseth a few times regarding Department of Defense reform and that Hegseth’s experience as a combat veteran will help alleviate some of the issues facing the department.
“He knows what it’s like to lead people in the battle,” he said. “I think he’s going to walk in with an open mind to things that we could change and make it better.”
Sen. Deb Fischer, who serves on the board of the United States Naval Academy, told NOTUS that she hasn’t discussed Hegseth’s plans for education reform with him but supports his nomination.
“I think his focus seems to really be on our military, men and women, our troops and what they need,” she said. “I find that impressive.”
Some Democrats, meanwhile, have expressed concern about how Hegseth would handle military schools.
In a letter detailing over 70 questions for Hegseth before his confirmation hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, an Armed Services Committee member, included four questions about Hegseth’s beliefs on DoDEA and what types of changes he would make.
“I am concerned about … whether you fully recognize that the classroom should be a place for religious inclusion, not just ‘classical Christian education,’” she wrote.
But other Democratic senators are more focused on other facets of Hegseth’s viewpoints and record, including allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct that have left his confirmation on shaky ground.
“I think there’s a lot of issues we’re going to get to before we get to that one,” Sen. Tim Kaine told NOTUS when asked if Hegseth’s education views are going to be a deal-breaker for him.
The military has defended its diversity efforts. Military experts have said that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are important for attracting and retaining a well-prepared military with a competitive edge. The Department of Justice wrote in a filing to the Supreme Court last year that “a diverse Army officer corps is a national security imperative.”
The fate of diversity initiatives at some military colleges could be determined in court. Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit legal advocacy group that’s launched lawsuits against affirmative action at colleges and universities, recently appealed a federal judge’s ruling that the United States Naval Academy could continue using race in admissions. The group also filed a separate lawsuit against the United States Air Force Academy last month for its use of race.
As for federally run schools for military members’ kids, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense Education Activity said the office is prepared to “stay in compliance with all of either the regulations, policies or executive orders that are pertinent to” potential DEI changes from the new administration.
“Regardless of what’s going on around us, we maintain our focus on serving military connected students,” spokesperson Will Griffin told NOTUS.
Lawmakers will be eagerly awaiting any changes.
“We need people to build a fighting machine for this country that’s going to protect the American people,” Tuberville said. “Affirmative action, to me, doesn’t play a role in any part of our military.”
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Torrence Banks and Shifra Dayak are NOTUS reporters and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows.