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In a move that rattled Annapolis, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has abruptly removed Vice Adm. Yvette Davids—the first woman and first Hispanic-American to serve as superintendent—from her post at the U.S. Naval Academy. Barely 18 months into what’s normally a three- to four-year tenure, she’s been tapped for a new role in the Pentagon: Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans, Strategy and Warfighting Development. That lateral promotion demands Senate approval and a special waiver—emphasizing how unusual this shake-up really is .
Davids—a 1989 Annapolis graduate— took the helm at the academy beginning January 11, 2024 . A decorated career sailor, she became the first Hispanic-American woman to command a Navy warship, the USS Curts, in 2007. She then helmed the USS Bunker Hill and later led Carrier Strike Group 11. In 2024, she shattered barriers again when she took the helm at the Naval Academy.
Her reforms at Annapolis included a sweeping removal of nearly 400 books from the Nimitz Library featuring race-, gender-, and sexuality-related themes—done in compliance with Hegseth’s broader push to purge “woke” content. It stirred backlash from legal advocates and faculty for what many saw as ideological censorship.
Vice Adm. Yvette Davids to Depart as Naval Academy Superintendent After 18 Months https://t.co/xPtSaCcdWj pic.twitter.com/vEtlGlR1RW
— Eye On Annapolis (@eyeonannapolis) July 18, 2025
Hegseth’s broader purge of leadership—especially female and minority officers—sets a context. His mandate: strip away affirmative action, diversity programs, and recalibrate military education toward an austere, “war-winning” focus.
In a move that rattled Annapolis, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has abruptly removed Vice Adm. Yvette Davids—the first woman and first Hispanic-American to serve as superintendent—from her post at the U.S. Naval Academy. Barely 18 months into what’s normally a three- to four-year tenure, she’s been tapped for a new role in the Pentagon: Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans, Strategy and Warfighting Development. That lateral promotion demands Senate approval and a special waiver—emphasizing how unusual this shake-up really is .
Davids—a 1989 Annapolis graduate— took the helm at the academy beginning January 11, 2024 . A decorated career sailor, she became the first Hispanic-American woman to command a Navy warship, the USS Curts, in 2007. She then helmed the USS Bunker Hill and later led Carrier Strike Group 11. In 2024, she shattered barriers again when she took the helm at the Naval Academy.
Her reforms at Annapolis included a sweeping removal of nearly 400 books from the Nimitz Library featuring race-, gender-, and sexuality-related themes—done in compliance with Hegseth’s broader push to purge “woke” content. It stirred backlash from legal advocates and faculty for what many saw as ideological censorship.
Vice Adm. Yvette Davids to Depart as Naval Academy Superintendent After 18 Months https://t.co/xPtSaCcdWj pic.twitter.com/vEtlGlR1RW
— Eye On Annapolis (@eyeonannapolis) July 18, 2025
Hegseth’s broader purge of leadership—especially female and minority officers—sets a context. His mandate: strip away affirmative action, diversity programs, and recalibrate military education toward an austere, “war-winning” focus.
David’s reassignment matches this pattern. Yet the decision to move her laterally rather than force her into retirement suggests a political chess play: retain her leadership in less-visible but still influential spheres while clearing “fifty shades of woke” off the Academy’s Yard.
Her successor? Marine Lt. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte—Annapolis Class of ’91, former linebacker, and AH‑1 Cobra pilot from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has logged more than 3,800 flight hours (700 in combat) and led the Marine Corps’ largest aircraft wing.
If confirmed, Borgschulte will become the first-ever Marine Corps officer to run the Naval Academy in its nearly 180-year history . His selection marks a dramatic symbolism: a Marine in charge of molding future Navy and Marine leaders, replacing the first female superintendent in one stroke.
This transition is more than gender or service swap. It underlines Hegseth’s strategy: redefine academy culture, emphasize combat readiness over social policy, and shift ownership toward military orthodoxy over inclusivity. Placing a Marine general—a combat-hardened, institutionally toughened figure—on the Yard reads as a deliberate message: “Expect harder, leaner, mission-first leadership.”
Navy Secretary John Phelan framed the swap as strength under tradition, while praise from Adm. Kilby for Davids’s future warfighting role signals that she remains a valued asset—just not the public face of Annapolis anymore.
Defense Secretary Hegseth is cutting a path through the Pentagon like a bulldozer with no rearview mirror, and the ones getting flattened are mostly women in uniform. Since taking office, Hegseth has removed several of the military’s top female leaders—an unmistakable trend that critics are now calling a purge.
Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield was the U.S. military’s representative to the NATO Military Committee and the only woman among its 32 members. She’s a decorated Navy helicopter pilot and commanded in Afghanistan. Didn’t matter. She was fired for “loss of confidence,” according to the Pentagon’s boilerplate response. No details, no clarity—just gone.
Next came Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s first female four-star and the service’s highest-ranking officer. Her removal stunned the ranks. Then it was Adm. Linda Fagan, the first woman ever to lead the U.S. Coast Guard. Two historic figures—both out the door without much ceremony and with no real explanation from the top brass.
These aren’t routine moves. Lawmakers and defense officials are raising alarms, arguing that the shake-ups erode trust, disrupt continuity, and seem rooted in ideology rather than readiness. Hegseth’s well-documented disdain for women in combat roles and his crusade to rip what he calls “woke” ideology out of the armed forces give the whole thing a political stink.
Adding fuel to the fire, Hegseth recently scrapped the military’s seven-year-old Women, Peace & Security initiative—a program designed to strengthen women’s leadership and integration in national security strategy. He called it divisive and unnecessary, a liberal pet project that distracted from the mission of preparing to win wars.
In the span of a few months, some of the most accomplished women in the military have been shown the door. Whether you call it a cultural reset or a political purge, the message is loud and clear: there’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s not interested in keeping the old order around.
At Annapolis, the effect is clear. The first female leader is gone; the first Marine takes over. It’s a cultural reset.
Lt. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte will be the first from his service to lead the U.S. Naval Academy, a historic shift after nearly 180 years of exclusively Navy leadership. As a Naval Academy graduate and a highly decorated Marine aviator with combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Borgschulte brings a strong operational background and deep ties to both the Navy and Marine Corps. He most recently served as the Marine Corps’ deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, managing personnel policy for the force.
What to expect at Annapolis under Borgschulte:
Borgschulte’s leadership represents a significant inflection point: expect Annapolis to highlight Marine ethos, operational preparedness, and possibly enforce even stricter adherence to Defense Department directives on curriculum and institutional culture.
Yvette Davids isn’t fired—she’s repositioned into a Pentagon warfighting role. But her removal from Annapolis, less than halfway through her expected term, reflects a strategic repositioning: erase traces of woke, eliminate symbolic firsts, and restore institutional rigidity.
In her place, Borgschulte arrives: a proven leader, Marine combat veteran, and Annapolis insider—exactly the sort of culture-war antidote Hegseth is selling. The Academy now stands on a new axis: Marine command in the House of Navy—a statement with ripple effects far beyond the Yard.
As someone who’s seen what happens when the truth is distorted, I know how unfair it feels when those who’ve sacrificed the most lose their voice. At SOFREP, our veteran journalists, who once fought for freedom, now fight to bring you unfiltered, real-world intel. But without your support, we risk losing this vital source of truth. By subscribing, you’re not just leveling the playing field—you’re standing with those who’ve already given so much, ensuring they continue to serve by delivering stories that matter. Every subscription means we can hire more veterans and keep their hard-earned knowledge in the fight. Don’t let their voices be silenced. Please consider subscribing now.
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Brandon Webb former Navy SEAL, Bestselling Author and Editor-in-Chief
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Hegseth Pulls Vice Admiral Yvette Davids From Top Spot at Naval Academy – SOFREP
