Pentagon expands DEI crackdown to Army and Air Force libraries

The U.S. Army and Air Force have directed their academic and training institutions to conduct thorough reviews of library collections in a continued push by the Trump administration to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content from federal agencies.

This directive follows the recent removal of nearly 400 books from the U.S. Naval Academy's Nimitz Library in Annapolis, Maryland, under orders from the office of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Among the titles removed were works addressing racism, feminism, the Holocaust, and Maya Angelou’s acclaimed memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The Army memo, signed by Derrick Anderson, Acting Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, instructed several institutions—including West Point, the Army War College in Pennsylvania, and libraries under Training and Doctrine Command and Special Operations Command—to identify books promoting DEI, gender ideology, or critical race theory “in a manner that subverts meritocracy and unity.” The initial lists are to be submitted to the Army's chief librarian by April 16 for further review.

Meanwhile, a similar directive from Gwendolyn DeFilippi, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, calls for the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs to provide an interim list of DEI-related books by April 30 and a final version by May 30.

While the three service academies were not initially included in President Donald Trump's January executive order banning DEI instruction in federally funded K–12 education, Pentagon leaders later extended the crackdown to the military colleges.

An Air Force statement said the academy is “conducting a deliberate review” in line with department policy, while Army Col. Terry Kelley, spokesperson for West Point, confirmed the school “will complete the directed review with the utmost professionalism and efficiency.”

However, the campaign to scrub DEI from military education has drawn public criticism. Lawmakers, local officials, and advocacy groups have raised concerns over the removal of historically significant content and tributes to military figures from Department of Defense websites and archives. The resulting backlash has forced the Pentagon to reinstate some materials, as questions continue to mount over transparency and oversight.

Secretary Hegseth, a vocal opponent of DEI initiatives, has led the effort to align the Pentagon’s education policies with the broader ideological goals of the Trump administration. Critics argue the measures risk whitewashing history and censoring academic freedom within military institutions.

By Vugar Khalilov