Posted by: James Atticus Bowden | March 13, 2024

West Point Changes Its Mission

Celebrating Native American Month at West Point. Because, Diversity dictates.

On March 7, 2024, the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY informed West Point’s Board of Visitors of an “Army Senior Leader Approved Mission.”  Superintendents have changed the mission statement before.  Changing the mission, values, vision, goals, branding, and logos of organizations is something executives in business and government – including the military – do.

The problem with this change is West Point isn’t Bud Light.  And never should be.

Consider the current USMA Mission:

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 to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.

Contrast it with the “Army Senior Leader Approved Mission”;

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 service to the Army and Nation.

Adding “build” looks nebulous, but could be nefarious if it means build bogus “diversity” teams by continuing race-based admissions.

Focus on deleting “the values of Duty, Honor, Country” and substituting “the Army Values.”

Ask any serving soldier or retiree to pop off to “How many Army Values are there?”  Or, “Name the Army Values!”  <Crickets>*

*Edit:  After  this piece was published, I found out that the Army makes a big deal about the mnemonic for Leadership created by GEN Reimer in the late 90s.  Soldiers are told to memorize the 7 words that make up “LDRSHIP.”  Country isn’t one of the seven, but is implied.  So troops might be able to name the Army Values.  I doubt they’ve memorized the long definitions on the Army web site.  I’d struggle to have to do that.  The currency of the Army Values as a well known list doesn’t change their subjectivity or ease to change them in any administration.  On the other hand Duty, Honor, Country is immutable.  

Follow up with “Who determines the Army Values?”  When and how?  Who defines them? <Crickets>  Whoever writes them on the Army website for sure. 

You and your befuddled soldier/retiree buddy can find the seven Army Values on the Army website along with the Warrior Ethos, Soldier’s Creed, NCO Creed, Ranger Creed, and the unforgettable Army Civilian Corps Creed. 

The Army Values include Duty and Honor, but omit Country.  They add Loyalty, Respect, Selfless Service, Integrity, and Personal Courage.  They are one and all admirable values.

But, the Army Senior Leaders made a serious mistake.  They invert the fundamental relationship of West Point to the Army.

West Point isn’t a reflection of the Army on any given day.  It isn’t just another liberal arts college officer commissioning source. 

West Point is the cradle for Army values as the formerly monastic, professional school for soldiers.  It’s the castle keep for maintaining the Army values to keep the Army’s promise to the American People – “This We’ll Defend.”  The seven Army Values are an expansion of what West Point brings to the Army for most of our Nation’s history from its motto “Duty, Honor, Country.”

The Army values come from West Point.   

Official West Point is quick to point out the Motto remains unchanged.  Good.

The Army Values may shift with any new administration.  West Point shouldn’t. 

As tempting as making new word salad or slogan soup is to Army executives, they should be discouraged from doing so.  No one can improve on the Gettysburg Address as a statement of America’s national purpose.  Likewise, no one can improve on the bedrock values of Duty, Honor, Country for West Point and the U.S. Army with flexible, corporate “Army Values.” 

Changing USMA’s mission from a career as an officer in the United States Army to a “lifetime of service to the Army and Nation” may reflect how few West Pointers stay in the Army for a career as an officer.  Clearly, USMA is failing its current mission statement.  Changing the mission reflects the reality that ROTC and OCS officer retention is higher than USMA.

Regardless of that short-coming, the Senior Army Leaders shouldn’t fiddle with the USMA mission statement by reversing West Point’s role in establishing, preserving, and upholding the values essential to the Army.  All “Army Values” come from West Point’s Duty, Honor, Country.

James Atticus Bowden

USMA, Class of 1972

If you want restore, reform, and improve West Point, sign up on the MacArthur Society email list https://macarthursociety.org/


Responses

  1. Unfortunately, our institutions are much farther gone than you realize Jim. The rank and file is not the same type of Americans as the veterans. Those that are still in and being promoted are woke. Sad but true. Just as Hitler purged the Christians and patriots out of the Reichswehr and turned it into the Wehrmacht, Obama fundamentally changed the military. We can fire the leaders, but the next crop is just as woke. It would take a major purge of the traitors and recruitment effort to bring in patriots that have abandoned it to restore it. Few would go along with such an effort. I fear it is too late to fix it. West Point used to be the “Keep” but no longer. For some years now it has been worse than the ROTC. Same as Annapolis. It expanded way too big and allowed far too many in to be elite. For years now it has not constituted the core that it used to be. Diverse, wokesters who didn’t meet the old standards have been the bulk of the student population for years now. Its decline began when it went coed.

    The Lord never said things would get better and better, rather they will get worse, much worse and then He will come again. Buckle up.

    >

    • Always appreciate your thoughtful comments. No arguments. I’m working with Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 for “Joint Borman Commission 2.0” to restore, reform, and improve all 3 service academies. If a new Administration can be elected – which I doubt at this time – it will happen. Maybe in 2029 if not 2025. I believe in reformations. There are historical precedents. We’ll see.

      • I am glad you are at work on these issues. I believe it was Martin Luther (perhaps someone else) who said even though we expect the Lord to come soon, I would plant a tree.

  2. Bubba –

    I found it interesting that “Duty, Honor, Country” did not appear in the West Point mission statement until the one in 1998, the 8th such statement published.

    I am also glad that the motto remains unchanged.

    May God have mercy on the USA.

    In His Mighty Grip,

    Ward Bursley

    • Ward: When DHC appeared is irrelevant. Yes, the motto remains the same. The mission is downgraded. It is worse. That’s the issue.

      Best,

      Bubba


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