Hegseth rages as Army makes U-turn on standards to screen out ‘stupid’ cadets: report

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly upset that the U.S. Army has decided to backtrack on a set of new academic standards for college students enrolling in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps training program meant to block "stupid people" from joining.

The new standards required scores of at least 1000 on the SAT. The average score in 2023 was 1028, according to the National Center for Education Statistics . The upgraded standard, which was supported by Hegseth , was adopted on August 5, but was withdrawn on Wednesday, the New York Post reports.

Then-assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs Jules Hurst argued earlier in August that the Army "must cultivate intelligent and adaptive officers to build a lethal and ready Army prepared to deter, fight, and win our nation’s wars."

"The strength of our Officer Corps is the strength of our Army," he said.

The standard would not have gone into effect until January, but under secretary of the Army Mike Obadal said it was rescinded due to a need for "further staffing and analysis."

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll has reportedly been clashing with Hegseth, according to sources who spoke to the New York Post . The new standards reportedly were never cleared with him.

One of the military officials who spoke to the New York Post said that the standards are needed, claiming that they know people who have taught ROTC candidates who are woefully lacking in academic skills.

“I have friends that taught ROTC. They literally deal with some cadets that can’t put together a coherent sentence or write correctly,” the source reportedly said. "1000 on the SAT is nothing. If you can’t hit that you probably shouldn’t be an officer to begin with. We don’t want stupid people leading our soldiers.”

Under the now-defunct standard, ROTC cadets could have submitted ACT scores of 20 or more or score above the 50th percentile on the ASVAB armed services vocational test taken by enlisted troops.

“Every branch of the U.S. military, except for the Army, has minimum requirements to commission via ROTC regardless of scholarship status," the official reportedly told the New York Post . "The fact that this was not in place to begin with is a bit strange. Enlisted service members, in many cases, seem to have stricter testing requirements to join.”

Under its current rules, the Army ROTC program does not require students to submit standardized test scores for entry.

ROTC programs serve as a pipeline for incoming Army officers. Approximately 40 to 70 percent of recent Army officers participate in the program.

Hegseth's reported displeasure with the rollback reflects his broader push to tighten standards for service members across the military. He has previously railed against "fat generals" and "beardos" who he has said reflect poorly on the armed forces' overall standards and professionalism.

It remains to be seen whether Hegseth will force the upgraded academic standard to be re-adopted by the Army.