SECRETARY OF WAR
1000 DEFENSE PENTAGON
WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1000
SEP 2 9 2026
MEMORANDUM FOR SENIOR PENTAGON LEADERSHIP
DEFENSE AGENCY AND DOW FIELD ACTIVITY DIRECTORS
SUBJECT: Refocusing the Military Service Academies on Warfighter Education
The primary purpose of our Military Service Academies (MSA) is to prepare the next
generation of officers to lead the men and women of the greatest military on Earth. To ensure
our educational institutions remain firmly focused on this warfighting mission, we must address
the structural mechanisms that have allowed civilian academic norms to dilute our focus on
lethality. _., _. .... .... ._.
Among these mechanisms is the practice of granting tenure to civilian faculty. Tenure
often leads to academic stagnation, faculty complacency, and institutional inability to adapt to
emerging needs. Additionally, it contributes to curriculum that drifts from the mission of
educating our warfighters to the research priorities of the tenured academics.
To restore accountability, I direct the Secretaries of the Military Departments to
~WSQjateJy ™e aapoigt~,r ~ne~es to ~dlj1]§j~ops and to develop hiring plans
Fat prioritize i'nstitut1onf exil'.n'lrty ancl1aculty corilri'6ution to t ewarfighting mission.
IIHIIIHIII H 1111
OS DO 10016-26/C M DO 12827-26
