To the Editor:
I remember the last divorce more than 50 years ago. The Department of Defense’s recent cancellation of military officer enrollment in Brown graduate programs is as wrong now as it was then.
I was new to Brown when the last midshipmen graduated in 1972, after the University ended ROTC enrollment in 1969. It was a time of turmoil — the Vietnam War was still raging — and the separation between Brown and the nation’s military was mutual. While Brown has learned to value its ties to the military since its mistake in 1969, it appears Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has overlooked this history. His decision to cut ties with Brown leaves our military leadership less prepared for the demands of our national defense.
The Marine Corps I joined upon graduation in 1975 was a challenging melting pot. I remember my first battalion commander, a Naval Academy graduate, asking me why in the world I wanted to join the military after graduating from a liberal arts school like Brown. I wondered if I was ready for this new world.
I soon realized that my value as an officer was directly attributable to my formation at Brown. Unlike many of my peers, I was not the product of a rigid, set curriculum. Instead, the “New Curriculum” challenged me to think critically and understand that strength of character is key to leadership. I still experienced the very “intellectual rigor” which Hegseth claims our institution has sacrificed.
Over my 30 years of service, my role shifted from the tactical to the strategic. At the highest level of our armed services, the ability to think critically distinguished me from my peers. On College Hill, living and studying with classmates from varied backgrounds forced me to embrace new ideas and grow comfortable with uncertainty — traits essential for success in the Marine Corps. I am concerned that by backing away from Brown, the Pentagon is cutting off a source of tremendous capability. Brown does not have a monopoly on producing the military’s best officers, but its graduates offer unique problem-solving skills. Our military will be the poorer for losing that connection.
There is also the matter of fairness. If elite Ivy League educations are closed to military officers, we create a dangerous divide between our civilian leadership and those who serve in uniform. For many, the military offers the financial assistance that makes an Ivy League education possible. Restricting that assistance doesn’t just hurt the individual — it hurts our country’s ability to attract the very best to a demanding vocation.
As defense leaders look to the future, they must re-examine their severing of ties to Brown. Serving as a military officer demands the finest preparation our country can provide. The better prepared our military is to, in the words of Brown’s mission, “discharge the offices of life with usefulness and reputation,” the better served our country will be.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Cassidy ’75
Colonel, USMC (Ret.)
