Overview

• Retired Col. Mark Bieger informed faculty by email that the Sept. 25 Thayer Award ceremony for Hanks “will not be held as originally scheduled,” saying the academy would concentrate on preparing cadets to lead, fight and win.
• The West Point Association of Graduates and the academy have not clarified if the award is revoked, postponed, or will be presented in another format, and representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
• The announcement coincided with President Trump’s executive order to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War, a change that would require congressional action to become permanent.
• Coverage situates the move within broader shifts at West Point under the current administration, including reviews of curricula and leadership, rollbacks of DEI programs, personnel changes, and the reinstallation of a Robert E. Lee portrait in the library.
• When Hanks was announced in June as the 2025 recipient, alumni leaders praised his portrayals of service members and veteran advocacy, while some Trump allies later publicly criticized the planned honor.