The University of Nebraska has been tabbed as a potential partner institution for the Department of Defense as the Pentagon reorganizes education programs for senior military officers.
As detailed by Secretary Pete Hegseth in an early February memo titled “Rebuilding the Warrior Ethos in Professional Military Education,” the DoD will eliminate dozens of Senior Service College (SSC) Fellowship programs for the 2026-2027 academic year and beyond. Across 22 institutions, 93 fellowships are set to be cancelled, primarily those at east coast Ivy League schools.
SSC fellowships are offered as career-enhancing programs that prepare senior-level civilian officials for high-level roles in defense and national security.
In making the announcement, Hegseth said he would direct the compilation of a “revised list of elite institutions” offering equivalent programs to replace those eliminated.
In a Feb. 27 memo, the University of Nebraska was listed among 20 other institutions as potential substitutes.
According to the memo, the listed institutions meet the following criteria: “intellectual freedom, minimal relationships with adversaries, minimal public expressions in opposition of the Department, and Graduate-level National Security, International Affairs, and/or Public Policy Programs.”
Governor Jim Pillen reacted Friday, applauding the inclusion.
“From General John J. Pershing to today’s warfighters at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska has a long tradition of educating and training the next generation of military leaders,” he said in a statement. “Our state and the University of Nebraska is committed to continuing this tradition and serving future leaders of America’s extraordinary military.”
Anthony Tata, the current Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, is tasked with executing the directive and ensuring compliance.
“It is imperative that our warfighter education system forges strategic senior leaders who are trained to think critically, free of bias and influence,” Hegseth wrote in his memo. “We must act with urgency and purpose to develop the leaders required to win our Nation’s wars.”
The full Feb. 27 memo from Hegseth is available below.