The Department of War on Tuesday threatened to take “extraordinary” measures to ensure that Virginia Democrats don’t strip funding from the Virginia Military Institute.
After their big wins in the 2025 elections, Virginia Democrats are looking to flex their newfound power by reviving a diversity, equity, and inclusion push to possibly end the historic institution’s status as a state-funded university. The Pentagon said it would take extraordinary action if the state carried out such a move.
The Department of War “reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. “Our commitment to the cadets and midshipmen currently training there remains steadfast.”
The piece of legislation Parnell said was of “significant concern” was Virginia House Bill 1374, which would shut down VMI’s Board of Visitors and place the school under full state control.
“For generations, the unique military environment at VMI has made the institute a vital source of commissioned officers for the Armed Forces,” he said. “The stability of this proven leadership pipeline is a matter of direct national security interest and any action that could disrupt the ecosystem requires our full attention.”
“We urge the Virginia General Assembly to consider the broader implications of this bill on military readiness, as well as the federal government’s long-standing investment in this critical institution,” Parnell added.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
In addition to HB 1374, Virginia Democrats also proposed HB 1377, which would create a task force to examine whether the state should continue to fund the university. In 2021, a task force put together by former Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) claimed VMI engaged in widespread discrimination. The new push would end state funding for the school if it found it didn’t take proper action to address the 2021 concerns.
The most recent academic year saw VMI receive 27.5% of its funding from Virginia.
Parnell didn’t specify what “extraordinary measures” the Pentagon could take to address the matter, but it would likely involve direct action from President Donald Trump.
Del. Dan Helmer (D), who introduced HB 1377, said Virginia shouldn’t give money to an institution “incapable of separating itself from a Lost Cause ideology that promotes White supremacy,” referring to a nostalgic view of the Confederacy.
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VMI is known as the West Point of the South, a label originally given by President Abraham Lincoln. It produced many of the Confederacy’s finest generals during the Civil War, the commemoration of whom has long been a source of unease for liberals.
VMI has produced around 300 generals and flag officers, seven Medal of Honor recipients, and one Nobel Prize winner. Among its most notable alumni are U.S. Army chief of staff George Marshall, namesake of the Marshall Plan, and the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, one of the Confederacy’s best generals, served as a professor at VMI before the Civil War.
