Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth released a memorandum on Friday requiring future admission decisions for West Point, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy to be based “exclusively on merit” with “no consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex.”
In Friday’s memorandum to the U.S. military academies, Hegseth wrote, “The Military Service Academies (MSA) are elite warfighting institutions with long histories of producing world class military officers. The Department owes it to our nation, our Service Members, and our young Americans applying to the MSAs to ensure admissions to these prestigious institutions are based exclusively on merit.”
Hegseth explained that by selecting future admissions based on merit, the U.S. military would ensure that “only the most qualified candidates” will be admitted, trained, and commissioned to “lead the finest fighting force in history.”
“Selecting anyone but the best erodes lethality, our warfighting readiness, and undercuts the culture of excellence in our Armed Forces,” Hegseth warned.
As part of Friday’s memorandum, Hegseth directed the secretaries of the military departments to certify within 30 days that there will be “no consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex” and that admission to the U.S. military academies will be “based exclusively on merit.”
READ MORE: SECDEF Hegseth issues blunt response after West Point professor resigns suddenly
According to Fox News, Hegseth’s memorandum will allow U.S. military academies to consider merit based on prior military service, athletic talent, performance at a military service academy preparation school, or other applicable experience.
“The Department must remain steadfast in its pursuit of excellence and never compromise the high standards at our MSAs,” Hegseth stated. “A strong officer corps is essential to ensuring the United States military remains the most lethal the world has ever known.”
Sharing a picture of the memorandum in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Hegseth tweeted, “ALL FUTURE ADMISSIONS will be ‘exclusively on merit.’
“‘Race, ethnicity, or sex’ can NO LONGER BE CONSIDERED,” Hegseth added. “Our officers will be the best of the best—full stop.”
