Pentagon Schools Center Christianity in New Course

U.S. Department of Defense display wall with service seals — Photo: Steve Mann / Shutterstock

The Pentagon’s school system will teach a new Western civilization course that centers Christianity, confirming a major shift in what military children learn this fall.

Story Snapshot

The Department of Defense school system is launching a yearlong Western civilization course with a classical approach.
Officials frame the class as deeper study of ideas that shaped the modern world, including religious influence.
Historians who reviewed excerpts say the text blurs Western civilization with Christianity and treats Islam as a threat.
The rollout follows broader moves to steer military education toward “patriotic values” and away from elite campuses.

What the Pentagon’s Schools Are Changing This Year

The Department of Defense Education Activity, now branded the Department of War Education Activity, announced a new Western Civilization to 1500 course for high school students. The agency says the yearlong class will use a classical approach to help students explore history, philosophy, and the cultural foundations that shaped the modern world. The move places religious sources and ancient traditions among the formative texts. The agency says the course expands academic options and meets social studies credit needs for graduation.

The Associated Press reported the course is part of a push by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to redirect schools for military families toward patriotic values and classical learning. That push tracks with other steps to rework education within the defense establishment. In 2025, reporting described orders to remove material labeled divisive by President Trump from military academies. In 2026, the Pentagon also stopped sending personnel to several elite universities and began a broader review of graduate study partners.

Supporters Say It Centers Foundational Ideas

Course backers within the Department of Defense school system argue that students should study the ideas that shaped Western institutions and civic life. They point to the value of reading classical texts and tracing roots of law, science, and government across ancient and medieval eras. Supporters also link the course to a return to knowledge-rich teaching. They say this helps teens in military families form clear mental maps of history and ideas before they face modern debates.

Proponents outside government add that Western civilization courses give coherence to a crowded curriculum. The American Historical Association has long noted that world history can demand instructors cover too much, which can dilute depth. Some scholars therefore prefer a tighter Western sequence that lets students read core texts closely and discuss cause and effect in detail. They argue that focus can improve recall, writing, and debate skills for young learners.

Critics Warn of Religious Blurring and Biased Framing

Historians and educators who reviewed excerpts of the course text told the Associated Press that it depicts Western civilization and Christianity as one and the same, and casts Islam as a threat to both. The reviewers also said the book describes Islam as inherently more violent than Christianity. Those claims charge the course with crossing from cultural history into religious preference. They also raise concerns about how Muslim students and families on bases may feel in class settings.

Scholars point to a long debate over how Islam is covered in school books. Some research found that anti-Muslim bias has persisted in world history textbooks despite changes in surveys over time. Earlier textbook reviews criticized both omission and “happy talk,” saying books skip hard topics like slavery in Muslim societies or limits on women in some countries. The new Pentagon course lands in the middle of this dispute, which shows no signs of ending.

Why This Matters for Military Families and Trust in Institutions

Military families often do not choose their local school. The government runs these schools, sets the courses, and assigns the teachers. That heightens the stakes for any change tied to faith or culture. Supporters will see a course that rebuilds civic literacy and provides moral anchors. Critics will see a state-run system leaning toward one religion in its framing. Both will watch how classrooms treat students from many backgrounds.

FOCUS ON PATRIOTIC VALUES: The Pentagon is introducing a course centered on Western civilization and Christianity this fall in the schools it operates for military families, part of an effort by War Secretary Pete Hegseth to redirect the education system toward patriotic values… pic.twitter.com/I8Cfqn6jfT

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) August 14, 2026

The rollout also fits a wider shift in military education under President Trump’s administration. Leaders have pushed to align learning with warfighting missions and to distance programs from institutions seen as ideological or unhelpful to readiness. That meets cheers from some conservatives and alarms from many liberals. For citizens across the spectrum, the core test is simple: does the government run schools that teach facts, respect pluralism, and prepare students to think for themselves?