[April 29, 2025] A recent article by Lt. Col Ken Segelhorst, USA retired, tells the tale of our nation’s elite military academies and the surge in academic cheating. He is alarmed by this growing pattern of cheating that, at one time, meant immediate expulsion from the academies. No longer.
“Once rare and met with mass expulsions, large-scale cheating scandals at the academies have become alarmingly common, and the consequences have become increasingly lenient.” – Lt. Col. Ken Segelhorst, USA Ret, 22 April 2025
The pattern of cheating is not new or the result of DEI or Wokism but a longer-developing trend over the past two decades. Lt. Col. Segelhorst says that every time a cheating scandal occurs, usually involving a large number of cadets, the academy’s leadership assures us they have everything under control, that this was an aberration, and that their honor codes of conduct remain a steadfast wall against ethical violations.
Unfortunately, the cycle of cheating continues. This is part of a deep cultural failure where rules are not rules but “guidelines,” where we are expected to tolerate the offender because they will do better later after years at the academy. But, the continued ethical failures says loudly that standards of character are not being taught.
Segelhorst tells us that these cheating scandals are not incidents involving a small number of cadets but “increasingly large-scale, coordinated violations of the very honor codes that define these institutions.” For example, in 2020, the Air Force Academy investigated 245 cadets for cheating during remote final exams. Of these, 231 admitted guilt, but only 22 were expelled.
The U.S. Army’s academy at West Point has not been without its own cheating scandals. In 2020, there were 73 cadets caught cheating on a calculus exam. Of these, 55 were academy athletes, including 24 football players. It was their largest cheating scandal since 1976, a stain that would never go away.
The West Point Superintendent, Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, suspended the long-established policy that would have barred guilty cadets from representing the academy, including athletics. The move protected the football program from losing players during the season.
In early 2021, I wrote about this scandal and how Lt. Gen. Williams used “race” as an explanation for lowering West Point’s ethical standards. William is black and has
Lt. Gen. Williams offered a laughable explanation in a memo to the faculty at West Point. He wrote that the Academy’s honor code “has resulted in an inequitable application of consequences and developmental opportunities for select groups of cadets.” Clearly, Williams is concerned that the honor code has a “disparate impact” on some groups of cadets. That’s why he is deviating from past practice. His explanation is twisted logic and, of course, a non-starter.
Lt. Gen. Williams would later be promoted to General, a four-star rank, and given even greater responsibility. That’s the reward for tolerating the Army’s spiral into irrelevance. Lying, cheating, and stealing are okay if you are an athlete or of a protected race. No matter that the Cadet Honor Code is “A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” When followed, things go well … but when disregarded, bad results will follow.
Our encourage honor code violations. Leaders like Williams are examples of why our military has fallen to such low levels of readiness.
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Cheating in academies and in all colleges and schools skyrocketed under the Dept of Educ under Pres Biden. He did this because he could and because he is an evil man who is supported by evil minions. Look at any of them. I pray for his soul and we all should because he is lost with the Devil telling him what to do.
Good point Rev Cain.
Nailed it.
“Once rare and met with mass expulsions, large-scale cheating scandals at the academies have become alarmingly common, and the consequences have become increasingly lenient.” – Lt. Col. Ken Segelhorst, USA Ret, 22 April 2025
If you think its’ bad in America, you not seen nothing.
It seems as if ALL organizations are falling apart by being COMPASSIONATE to the underdog. Phooey. That’s not how you make the world a better place to llve. Only by raising standards does it work
We’ve known this for some time now, and nothing was being done to stop it. There are a number of senior officers and graduates of these fine academies who love to be seen as “heroes” for lowering standards. Of course, they don’t see it as lowering standards but as “giving the downtrodden” more opportunities previously denied by the “racism” in America. If you think this smacks of SECDEF Mark Milley and his ilk, then you’re right. I’ve seen too much of this and it makes me want to barf. Lowering military standards is a death sentence on the battlefield. Lower standards means that we are becoming another third-world military than can barely get its people to the battle, much less win it.
Army Vet, you’re right about this, of course. Too many attempts to “temporarily” lower standards so that certain demographics (read that as women and blacks, no one else) can catch up. The problem is that they cannot catch up and never will. Call me what you want, but the proof is that we have been giving women and blacks more opportunities since the mid-1960s and nothing much has changed. More than 60 years of privilege and now all they can say is that the white man is discriminating against them. Go figure. Give them something to help and where does it get us? Zero. Come on, men! Grow a pair.
Got that right Army Vet and Paulette. Ouch. That’s what I have to say.
Yet Leftists will deny that the previous privileges even existed when they obviously did. 👍
Yep, and we’re going to see a big political fight over this.
INTERESTING
No surprise here as our Flag Officers Cheating in America’s Military Academies allow it to happen. This is what happens when standards are lowered to allow access by classes of people who are less committed to the truth.
Exactly what happened at West Point. Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams lowered academic standards so his black students could graduate. Because he was also black, the military just allowed it to happen. Now, we’re dealing with both double academic standards for blacks vs others in the US army. I hope the new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gets on this problem asap. I’m the son of an Army vet who fought in Korean War and I was in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know from personal experience what can go wrong when standards are lowered. You learn not to trust certain people.
Sad story that we allowed it. America is still feeling the effects of this lowering of standards which is a “privilege.” And now that many are used to their privileges, they feel discriminated against without it.