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President Trump on Monday moved to dismiss the Board of Visitors for four military service academies, claiming the groups that help oversee student life and academic programs at the prestigious schools had been “infiltrated” by “woke” ideology.
“Our Service Academies have been infiltrated by Woke Leftist Ideologues over the last four years,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I have ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard.”
Trump did not immediately say who would be appointed as new members of the boards, which are tasked with inquiring into the state of morale and discipline, the curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods, and other matters relating to the schools.
The boards at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Coast Guard Academy consist of six members appointed by the president, three appointed by the vice president, four appointed by the Speaker, one designated by the Senate Armed Services Committee and one designated by the House Armed Services Committee.
While the board members are meant to provide independent advice and recommendations on the operation and other matters relating to the schools, in recent years they have become targets in political jostling.
Trump in December 2020, weeks before he was set to leave office, appointed a number of political allies to the boards of the service academies after removing long-standing experts.
President Biden in September 2021 then moved to purge the members appointed by Trump, a move that drew pushback, considering each individual’s term is meant to last three years.
At the time, the White House defended the terminations by questioning the qualifications of several members, including former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, who sat on the Air Force Academy board, and former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, a Navy Reserve officer who had been appointed to the Naval Academy board.
Trump signaled the same line of thinking with his dismissals, claiming new individuals must be appointed to “make the Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!”
The dismissals are part of a larger effort to root out what Trump called “woke” literature, professors and curriculum at the service academies as well as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI) across the federal government — as he ordered last month.
To that end, West Point last week ordered the disbanding of a dozen student clubs, including the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers Club.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said he wants to get “woke” civilian professors out of military academies and replace them with military personnel. However, experts say that may be difficult to execute, given recruiting challenges.
Updated at 2:27 p.m. EST
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Trump targets Board of Visitors for Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard academies – AOL.com
