Overview

• Dan Driscoll’s directive terminates the service agreement with Jen Easterly as the Robert F. McDermott Distinguished Chair and initiates a comprehensive review of West Point’s hiring practices.
• West Point had announced Easterly’s appointment through LinkedIn and X posts that were later deleted from its official channels.
• The rescission follows criticism by far-right activist Laura Loomer, who labeled Easterly a “Biden holdover” undermining President Trump.
• The memo instructs the academy to halt outside groups’ involvement in selecting instructors and shaping academic or developmental lectures.
• Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell emphasized that the academy will now focus on preparing cadets as warriors rather than “censorship activists.”