The anti-American and radical leftist Marxist-based ideology of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” or DEI that has infected so many of the nation’s leading universities has not been serving the best interests of the U.S. military. If anything, this ideology has only weakened our Armed Forces. That is the conclusion of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

In February, Hegseth severed ties with several major academic institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Georgetown, Columbia, and Princeton. In total, Hegseth eliminated 93 fellowship positions across 22 schools, changing where senior officers will receive further education.

However, the Pentagon did not simply end all military fellowships; they are being replaced by other academic institutions that aren’t committed to pumping out the same corrupting DEI ideology. These new institutions awarded military fellowships include Liberty University, George Mason University, Pepperdine University, and Texas-based Baylor University, as well as several larger schools, including Auburn University and the University of Florida.

One of the institutions at the top of the list is Hillsdale College. President Larry Arnn recently sent a letter to Hegseth, writing, “Thank you for including Hillsdale College among the institutions qualified to educate America’s military leaders.” Arnn noted that he supported the secretary’s goal of equipping the military with “the lethality necessary to protect our national interest.” He also agreed on the importance of promoting the Constitution and “political philosophy of the West,” observing that “anti-American ideologies” have “infect[ed] so many of our colleges and universities.”

The fact of the matter is that the new academic institutions the Pentagon is partnering with are no slouches. Aside from the aforementioned academically rigorous institutions, the list includes The Citadel and Virginia Tech.

But Hillsdale is a unique choice, as the institution has long distinguished itself by its refusal to accept any federal money, a policy it argues helps preserve its independence. This refusal to take government money obviously does not preclude Hillsdale from engaging in civics. Indeed, one of the goals of any academic institution should be to influence culture through education, a practice that Hillsdale has long honored.

Hegseth’s move is in keeping with his goal for the U.S. military: “We train warriors, not wokesters.”

This should come as no surprise, as those who are willing to fight and die for their country must also be committed to protecting and advancing its welfare above all others. Unfortunately, too many of this nation’s storied institutions have been captured by an ideology opposed to America remaining the great country it has always been.

These institutions are all too often actively undermining and destroying the values and pillars upon which our nation was founded. It’s hard to fight to preserve something you’ve been conditioned and convinced to hate and see as evil. And that is the trouble. Hopefully, Hegseth’s changes will serve as corrective measures to ensure that the U.S. military is served by academic institutions that believe in its mission, rather than those opposed to it.