West Point ordered professor to stop teaching human-caused climate change, then declined to renew his contract after he objected, lawsuit says

On August 24, 2026, Adam Kalkstein -- a tenured geography professor and the only climate scientist on the faculty of the United States Military Academy at West Point -- filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York alleging he was pushed out of his job for refusing to stay silent about the human causes of climate change. According to the complaint, the order to stop teaching that human activity drives global warming came from the White House.

The complaint states that in September 2025, West Point's geography program director told faculty in an emergency meeting that they could no longer teach cadets about anthropogenic climate change, and relayed a threat from department head Col. Mark Read that the entire department would be dissolved if anyone told the media or politicians about the directive. Kalkstein had already been stripped of his tenure that May, after being told his position was being eliminated in a reduction in force and agreeing to continue on a grant-funded contract. He complied with the directive under protest, raising it unsuccessfully with the Department of Defense Inspector General's office and West Point's legal department. At a November 5, 2025 faculty presentation to academy dean Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves, Kalkstein objected that omitting the human causes meant "lying" to cadets; Reeves responded angrily and left the meeting.

At the end of the following semester, Read told Kalkstein his contract would not be renewed, citing his "poor character and temperament" and pointing to the confrontation with Reeves as a major reason, according to the complaint. Kalkstein -- described by his attorney as a conservative Republican -- is suing West Point, Reeves, Read, and former superintendent Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland, seeking reinstatement, an injunction against further curriculum restrictions, and damages. A West Point spokesperson said the academy was aware of the allegations but had nothing to add beyond the public court filings.