Pete Hegseth orders military education overhaul as impeachment looms

 Pete Hegseth has ordered a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. military‘s professional education system, directing Pentagon leaders to prioritize combat readiness and war-fighting skills, as the embattled defense secretary faces mounting calls for impeachment over the Trump administration’s handling of the Iran war.

In a memorandum dated November 9, Hegseth ordered immediate reforms across the military’s Senior Service Colleges and Intermediate Level Education institutions, arguing that military education had strayed too far from its central purpose of preparing officers to fight and win wars.

The announcement comes as Republican Representative Thomas Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries publicly backing the effort and declaring that the defense secretary “has got to go.”

A spokesperson for the Defense Department told Newsweek it had nothing further to add to the release and Hegseth’s comments.

Newsweek has also reached out to the White House for comment.

What Hegseth Ordered

In the memorandum, titled Reforming Professional Military Education to Forge Warfighters and Secure Victory, Hegseth says the military’s education system needed fundamental changes to restore what he described as a culture of accountability and war-fighting excellence.

“The fundamental purpose of the Armed Forces of the United States is to fight and win our Nation’s wars,” Hegseth wrote. “There is no substitute for victory.”

He criticized what he characterized as “academic drift” within professional military education, arguing that institutions had increasingly prioritized theory and ideological concerns over practical military preparation.

The directive establishes a series of reforms intended to reshape how future military commanders are educated, assessed and selected.

Among the most significant changes:

Mandatory war-gaming and examinations: Senior military colleges and intermediate-level institutions will introduce standardized end-of-course war-games or comprehensive examinations to assess students’ strategic and operational knowledge.

New Warfighter Chairs: Institutions will establish positions for high-performing colonels and lieutenant colonels with recent operational command experience, bringing battlefield lessons directly into the classroom.

Changes to faculty contracts: Newly hired civilian faculty will no longer receive lifetime tenure or emeritus status, with positions converted where appropriate into renewable three-year performance-based contracts.

Greater emphasis on military experience: The Pentagon wants a majority of full-time faculty at senior military colleges to possess direct military or defense experience.

Curriculum changes: Schools will be required to emphasize joint war-fighting, military history, national defense strategy, strategic deterrence and operational planning.

The memorandum also directs the Pentagon to strengthen instruction on constitutional principles, civil-military relations and the legal responsibilities of commissioned officers.

Hegseth said the department would judge military education institutions against one central question: “Does this program forge leaders who will win America’s wars?”

The directive assigns implementation responsibilities across the military services, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and senior Pentagon leadership, with deadlines from 90 to 270 days.

Some of the changes, including revised grading policies and standardized assessments, are scheduled to be incorporated into academic programs beginning in the 2027-28 academic year.