Van Hollen Statement on Motion to Reinstate Banned Books at Naval Academy Board of Visitors Meeting

At a meeting of the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Board, offered a motion for the Board to recommend that the Naval Academy Superintendent return the nearly 400 books that were removed from circulation at the Academy’s Nimitz Library last month. Following debate, the Senator agreed to temporarily suspend his motion after Superintendent Vice Admiral Yvette Davids committed to holding a briefing for the Board within 30 days regarding the process for selecting the books that were designated for removal and the next steps that Academy and Navy leadership plan to take. The Senator issued the following statement:

“Like all members of the Board of Visitors, I am committed to ensuring the Naval Academy upholds our nation’s highest standards and is equipped to prepare the next generation of leaders to serve our country with distinction. But banning hundreds of books from the Academy’s library does nothing to serve this purpose. In fact, the institution’s commitment to academic freedom has for generations helped mold midshipmen into leaders. That’s why today I made a motion for the Board to recommend that the books removed from the Nimitz Library be promptly returned. After debate among the Board members and a commitment from Superintendent Vice Admiral Davids to hold a briefing for the Board on this matter, I temporarily suspended my motion while making clear my intention to call for a vote at the next meeting. I look forward to receiving this briefing from the Superintendent in the coming weeks.

“As the Naval Academy faces increasing political interference, it is more important now than ever that the Board works to uphold the integrity of this institution, and that includes ensuring that its academic freedom is not threatened. America faces increasingly complex security challenges around the world, and the Naval Academy must continue charting the course for midshipmen to lead the best warfighting force on the world’s seas.”