Army Secretary Rescinds Former Biden Official West Point Appointment, Orders Hiring Review

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has directed the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to rescind the appointment of Jen Easterly, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under President Joe Biden, as the Robert F. McDermott Distinguished Chair in the Department of Social Sciences. This decision follows criticism from conservative activists and Republicans who view Easterly's work countering misinformation about elections and the COVID-19 pandemic as censorship, allegations she denies. Driscoll's memo also orders West Point to immediately pause involvement of outside groups in faculty hiring and to conduct a top-down review of its hiring practices, signaling a broader effort by President Donald Trump's administration to exert control over military and higher education leadership. The move reflects ongoing tensions within the Defense Department around loyalty and ideological alignment, with far-right figures accusing the Pentagon of harboring Biden-era 'holdovers.' Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell emphasized the focus remains on training cadets as warriors and leaders, not as 'censorship activists.' The controversy highlights the politicization of cybersecurity and educational appointments amid persistent disputes over election integrity and pandemic-related information.