DoD Curriculum Shift
DoD Military Schools Emphasize Western Civilization, Christianity in New Curriculum Push
The Department of Defense is rolling out a new course on Western civilization and Christianity this fall in its schools for military families, AP reported exclusively. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is driving the shift, pushing the system toward what he calls patriotic values and classical learning.
The Department of Defense Education Activity, known as DoDEA, runs about 160 schools across 11 countries and teaches roughly 70,000 students. Those students are children of active-duty military members or civilian service workers. The new course will launch as a major curriculum change for the entire system.
Hillsdale College and a Conservative Publisher Shape the Curriculum
The new course will use a textbook from Encounter Books, a conservative publishing house. Lesson plans were built in partnership with Hillsdale College, a leading conservative Christian school in Michigan. Hillsdale has close ties to the Trump administration and has long pushed for classical education in public schools, AP noted.
The pairing of a conservative publisher and Hillsdale gives the curriculum a clear ideological direction. DoDEA serves students in 11 countries, meaning the course will reach military families stationed everywhere from Japan to Germany. The Pentagon did not respond to questions about the textbook or its content, according to AP.
Critics Say Textbook Distorts History and Targets Islam
Critics are raising red flags about the chosen textbook. They argue it contains historical inaccuracies. Most sharply, they say it frames Islam as a direct threat to Western civilization. That framing, critics say, blurs the line between historical fact and religious bias, AP reported.
Teaching material that casts one religion as a civilizational threat is especially sensitive in a military context. The U.S. military includes service members of many faiths, including Islam. Experts worry the course could create a hostile environment for Muslim students in DoDEA schools.
Hegseth's Broader Push to Remake Military Education
The new course is part of a larger effort by Secretary Hegseth to reshape DoDEA away from what he sees as progressive curriculum. Since taking office, Hegseth has moved to cut diversity programs and steer military institutions toward traditional American values, according to AP.
DoDEA schools function like a small public school district, but they answer to the Pentagon rather than local school boards. That gives Hegseth direct control over curriculum in a way most education officials do not have. Critics say that power is now being used to push a narrow ideological agenda onto tens of thousands of children.
Pentagon Stays Silent as Questions Mount This Fall
The Pentagon did not directly answer questions from AP about the textbook, the Hillsdale partnership, or the broader classical learning push. The course is still set to launch this fall. That silence is drawing more scrutiny from education experts and civil liberties groups watching the rollout closely.
For military families, there is little choice. DoDEA schools are often the only option on or near a base. Parents who disagree with the new curriculum have few alternatives. The situation puts a spotlight on how much influence a single cabinet secretary can have over the education of 70,000 children.
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