Restore the Military

The Battle Over Merit in America's Military

June 23rd, 2026  |  14 mins 58 secs

2027 defense bill, ndaa

The episode opens with a pointed argument: the Supreme Court's 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ruling struck down race-conscious admissions in higher education, but the service academies have continued operating under identity-based admissions frameworks using an untested "national security" rationale. Doug and Will argue the legal exposure is real and growing — and that it's better to fix it through statute now than have a court opinion force the issue later.