Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent focus on the U.S. Naval Academy has largely been limited to the institution’s on-campus library, and his desire to remove hundreds of books that the administration considers politically unacceptable.
But late last week, the Pentagon chief’s interest in the academy extended to its leadership. The Washington Post reported:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will replace the first woman to lead the U.S. Naval Academy, defense officials said, with the Trump administration nominating a Marine Corps general to oversee the institution for the first time in its nearly 180-year history.
In fairness, it’s important to emphasize that Vice Adm. Yvette Davids has not been demoted or forced to retire from military service. Rather, she’s been nominated to serve in a different role, which the Post described as “technically a lateral move.”
That said, the Naval Academy’s superintendent typically serves for three to four years. Davids, the first woman to serve in the position, is being removed after a year and a half.
Complicating matters further is the larger context. It was just a few months ago, for example, when Hegseth boasted about scrapping the Pentagon’s Women, Peace, and Security program — a program intended to boost women’s role in peace-building and conflict prevention missions — describing it as “woke” and a priority for “feminists.”
The Cabinet secretary neglected to mention that the program was one of Donald Trump’s accomplishments from the president’s first term, and the law that created the program was written by prominent Republicans, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during their congressional tenures. What’s more, in recent months, the Defense Department has also fired Col. Susannah Meyers, the commander of a U.S. military base in Greenland, after she refuted remarks from Vice President JD Vance. Days earlier, Hegseth also ousted U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee. The same list also includes Adm. Linda Fagan, the former commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard; Adm. Lisa Franchetti; and Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short. Indeed, the Post’s report added, “The unexpected decision comes as Trump, with Hegseth in the lead, has purged the military of numerous top military leaders — including a disproportionate number of women — whom they have accused of focusing too heavily on diversity.”
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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