Pentagon Orders Military Academies to Roll Back DEI

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, under the Trump administration, has issued sweeping directives reversing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the U.S. military. All military academies and educational institutions must review and remove library books on diversity, anti-racism, gender ideology, and similar topics by May 21, with guidance from a temporary Academic Libraries Committee using terms like 'affirmative action,' 'critical race theory,' and 'white privilege.' The U.S. Naval Academy has already removed nearly 400 such books, with Army and Air Force academies beginning similar actions. Hegseth also mandated that military academy admissions be based solely on merit, explicitly forbidding consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex, but allowing exceptions for unique athletic talent or prior service. Supporters claim the changes are necessary for military readiness, while critics argue they erase important perspectives and are discriminatory. The directives are part of the Trump administration’s broader rollback of diversity programs in the military.