Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's overhaul of senior officer education now has its first two replacement campuses: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech.
The schools were selected to host the revamped Senior Service College Fellowship, a 10-month professional education program for senior military officers. More partners are expected in the coming weeks. The selections begin moving officers out of programs Hegseth said had strayed from military readiness and into universities with deep military ties.
UNC-Chapel Hill confirmed Wednesday that it had been approved for the fellowship. The university said the program will prepare senior officers for strategic leadership by sharpening their work in national security, critical thinking and decision-making. Fellows will also work in areas including artificial intelligence, public policy, and global security.
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts welcomed the decision:
"The program fits well within the context of our mission of service, and we take tremendous pride in our deep, longstanding relationship with the United States military."
UNC has the history to back up Roberts' statement. The university hosted the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School from 1942 to 1945, and trained nearly 20,000 cadets during World War II. Today, its military community includes approximately 1,200 military students, more than 1,300 military dependents, and 150 ROTC cadets and midshipmen.
The Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata said officers at UNC will take part in a program built around the department's national security mission. That gives the department a defined course of study rather than another open-ended campus fellowship.
Read More: 'We Train Warriors, Not Wokesters' – Hegseth Tells Prestigious University to Take a Hike
This Is the Way: Hegseth Blasts Woke Leaders in Epic West Point Commencement Speech
Virginia Tech brings an even more obvious military connection. It is one of the nation's six senior military colleges, and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has been part of the school since its founding in 1872.
Hegseth's February memorandum had already listed Virginia Tech as a possible new partner. This week's selection gives the Blacksburg school one of the first programs created under the new framework.
Hegseth ordered the restructuring after concluding that too many existing programs had drifted from the purpose of professional military education. His memorandum stated:
“We will no longer invest in institutions that fail to sharpen our leaders’ warfighting capabilities or that undermine the very values they are sworn to defend.”
The directive eliminated 93 fellowships at 22 universities and organizations beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Harvard lost 21 slots, the most of any school. Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies lost 11, MIT lost seven, Georgetown lost six, Brown lost four, Columbia lost three, Yale lost two, and Princeton lost one.
Officers and Department of War civilians already enrolled were allowed to finish their courses. The changes apply to personnel beginning their studies during the 2026-27 academic year.
Hegseth was blunter when he announced the move publicly. He called the targeted schools "woke breeding grounds of toxic indoctrination" that had become factories of "anti-American resentment and military disdain."
Hegseth had already ended the department's professional military education relationship with Harvard ahead of the February order. The memorandum then directed officials to build a replacement roster.
Officials were told to look for intellectual freedom, limited ties to foreign adversaries, limited public opposition to the War Department, and graduate programs in national security, international affairs or public policy. Other possible partners included Hillsdale College, Liberty University, George Mason University, the University of Florida, Auburn University and The Citadel.
Hegseth put the Ivy League on notice in February. Five months later, the first officers have new destinations in Chapel Hill and Blacksburg.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
Help us fight back against Big Government waste and restore power to the states. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member