Military students remain in limbo as final Pentagon guidance for a new policy allowing cadets at America's service academies who have a child to continue their education has been past due for months.
The Pentagon was supposed to make the changes to service academy policies by the end of December, a year after the Candidates Afforded Dignity, Equality and Training legislation, known as the CADET Act., introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., helped push a policy change in the National Defense Authorization Act in 2021.
But four months after the legislative deadline, the department has still not issued the academies their marching orders, meaning some students could still be kicked out for having children despite the law.
Read Next: Army Special Operations Could Be Cut 10% as Military Looks to Conventional Warfare
“Until the Department of Defense revises its policies at the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Military, and U.S. Naval Academies, West Point will continue to follow DoD guidance stating that cadets and midshipmen cannot have dependents,” West Point spokeswoman Cheryl Boujnida told Military.com.
The Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy said they had yet to receive formal guidance from the Pentagon. The Merchant Marine Academy and the Coast Guard Academy did respond to Military.com's emails in time for publication.
Jade Fulce, a Pentagon spokesperson, told Military.com in an emailed…
