By Troy Turner
Only two weeks after ordering the War Department to cut ties with Harvard University and instead look to schools such as Auburn University for better matches to warfighter needs, today the department’s secretary added the military’s own educational institutions to the same type of review process.
Included is the Air War College located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery.
The college was established at Maxwell in 1946 and serves as the U.S. Air Force’s senior professional military education institution, serving aviators and strategists from all U.S. military branches and several American allies. It is considered one of the nation’s premier military educational institutes.
“The War Department has launched a task force to ensure the curriculum at its institutions of higher learning is structured to build warfighters rather than social justice warriors,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a press statement released today.
In a memorandum signed this week, Hegseth directed the undersecretary of war for personnel and readiness to stand up and lead the Senior Service College Task Force, which has a 90-day mission to ensure the War Department and military service schools, “which exist to teach men and women to fight wars, are not distracted by political ideology.”
The task force will review schools such as the National Defense University, National War College, U.S. Army War College, U.S. Naval War College, Air War College and Marine Corps War College.
Photos/USAF, Maxwell AFB
The task force will examine educational standards in advance of the 2026-27 academic year and will “assess institutional effectiveness by identifying deficiencies in standards and evaluating the colleges’ alignment with the National Defense Strategy. It will also review the curriculum.”
Hegseth on Feb. 27 issued a similar memorandum to senior military leaders announcing a cessation of academic relations with Harvard, and that the department and military services would evaluate similar relationships with other schools, with specific mention of Ivy League schools.
“[We] will evaluate all existing graduate programs for active-duty service members at all Ivy League universities and other civilian universities,” he said. “The goal is to determine whether or not they actually deliver cost-effective strategic education for future senior leaders when compared to, say, public universities and our military graduate programs.”
International Air and Space Attachés attend a briefing at Maxwell AFB, Jan. 13, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Savannah L. Waters)
Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Princeton and Georgetown were among the universities listed that will have fellowships cancelled starting with the 2026-27 academic year.
Auburn University, however, was among a list of 21 universities and colleges named as potential new partner institutions.
Auburn has a long, storied history of contributing to the U.S. military and national defense, including providing educational backgrounds for Medal of Honor recipients and numerous personnel who have served in senior leadership positions.
It also excels in academic success through fields such as engineering and business management that contribute to the War Department’s needs, and a long list of research and development contributions that include cybersecurity and producing astronauts for NASA.
Auburn ROTC cadets shown during an exercise. Photo/Auburn Army ROTC
Auburn was the only Alabama school on the list; however, others included the University of Tennessee, the University of Florida, Clemson University and The Citadel Military College of South Carolina.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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