By Wes Harlan, Politics and Policy Editor

In a decisive move to realign military education with American values, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has canceled 93 Senior Service College (SSC) fellowships at 22 institutions, eliminating partnerships with elite Ivy League schools and D.C. think tanks. Instead, he is considering potential partners such as California’s Pepperdine University and a diverse range of colleges across the country, moving away from the Northeast Acela corridor to incorporate heartland and West Coast perspectives.

The memorandum, dated February 27, builds on Hegseth’s February 6 directive, “Rebuilding the Warrior Ethos in Professional Military Education,” and takes effect for the 2026-2027 academic year. Current enrollees can complete their programs, but future fellowships will shift to a revised list of institutions that prioritize intellectual freedom, minimal ties to adversaries, and strong graduate programs in national security, international affairs, or public policy.

For context, SSC fellowships represent the pinnacle of Professional Military Education (PME) within the Department of War (DoW). They send senior officers—typically colonels and above—and high-level civilians to civilian institutions for a year as an alternative to traditional war colleges. The focus is on developing strategic thinkers capable of planning multi-domain joint operations, managing resources, and leading at the strategic level, all grounded in America’s founding principles, realism, and peace through strength. While some programs incorporate elements of acquisition training for roles involving procurement, the core emphasis is on lethality, winning wars, and often earning a master’s degree along with SSC credit.

Hegseth criticizes the canceled programs for deviating from this mission, introducing bias rather than honing warfighting skills. The eliminated institutions include Harvard University (21 military students), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (7), Georgetown University (6), and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and the Center for a New American Security, viewed as influenced by progressive ideologies that distract from the DoW’s objectives.

The potential new partners—21 in total—include Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, as a key West Coast option, alongside institutions from Tennessee, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Alabama, and more. The list encompasses senior military colleges like The Citadel in South Carolina, DoW-affiliated centers such as the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, and civilian universities including Liberty University, George Mason University, The University of Tennessee, Baylor University, and Hillsdale College.

This potential geographic expansion marks a significant shift, departing from the previous concentration in Northeast hubs like Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and D.C. If selected, these institutions would expose leaders to broader viewpoints—from the Southeast with Clemson University and Auburn University, to Midwest strengths like Iowa State University and the University of Nebraska, the Southwest with Arizona State University, and the Pacific Coast through Pepperdine. This approach aligns with the working-class roots of the military, replacing coastal elitism with nationwide diversity that reflects America’s heartland values.

Conservatives praise this as a return to prioritizing lethality over social experimentation. As the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness oversees implementation, Hegseth’s initiative aims to cultivate leaders with the urgency and purpose needed to win the nation’s wars.