The West Point Academy, a hallmark education and military training institution, has removed the phrase “Duty, Honor, Country” from its mission statement.
The change comes amid concerns that under the Biden administration, the Pentagon has “gone woke” and military readiness and recruitment are in decline, according to the Gateway Pundit.
Conservative government leaders have questioned the Pentagon’s push for diversity over readiness, their contracts with LGBT activists to encourage enlistment from underrepresented groups, the removal of Bibles in public military buildings and the disciplining of Chaplains accused of intolerance due to their traditional marriage views.
In recent years, the Pentagon has come under fire for compelling West Point students to take classes on critical race theory and attend a seminar titled “Understanding Whiteness and White Rage.”
Defending the update, West Point Superintendent Army Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland stated the school maintains its commitment to instill a sense of duty, honor, and love of country in the cadets they train.
Gilland added that updating the hallmark institution’s mission statement was prompted by a desire to communicate an expanded sense of “Army values.”
West Point’s previous mission statement read: “To educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army.”
The updated statement reads: “To build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character committed to the Army Values and ready for a lifetime of professional excellence and service to the Army and Nation.”
A statement from West Point’s public affairs office noted the school’s charter to “train leaders” requires administrators to make regular reassessments and realignments.
The statement added that West Point’s mission statement update heeded recommendations from “external stakeholders” and was approved by the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff.
The statement also noted that West Point’s mission statement has “changed nine times” in the school’s 222-year history.
The update has been met with fierce pushback, with many expressing their dissatisfaction via social media posts.
The elimination of “Duty, Honor, Country” from West Point’s mission statement is a direct reflection of undesirable shifts in our service academies.
The values that have led generations should not be erased to appeal to the cultural moment.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) March 15, 2024
