US army and air force libraries ordered to comb stacks for books related to DEI

The Guardian

16-04-2025

US army and air force libraries have been told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to new memos obtained by the Associated Press.
The orders from service leaders come about two weeks after the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by the office of the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to get rid of those that promote DEI.
The latest army and air force orders are part of the Trump administration's far-reaching efforts to purge so-called DEI content from federal agencies.
The memos suggest that any removal of books will only happen after the initial lists are reviewed more closely. That slower pace may reflect a desire to be more careful about what books are pulled from shelves after the navy faced criticism over some of those it removed.
Books on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, civil rights and racism, as well as Maya Angelou's famous autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, were among the 381 books that were removed from the US Naval Academy's Nimitz Library.
The army memo was sent to the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, the Army War College in Pennsylvania and several other service departments. It says they must review their collections and any books promoting DEI, gender ideology and critical race theory 'in a manner that subverts meritocracy and unity' must be removed 'pending additional guidance'.
The memo – signed by Derrick Anderson, acting assistant army secretary for manpower – says a list must be provided to the army's chief librarian by Wednesday. The order also applies to libraries under the authority of the army's training and doctrine command, army special operations command and the army judge advocate general's legal center and school.
The air force memo, meanwhile, directs the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, to review all of its titles for anything related to DEI, gender ideology and critical race theory. The school must provide an interim list by 30 April and a final list by 30 May.
That memo was signed by Gwendolyn DeFilippi, the acting assistant air force secretary for manpower, and did not specify other libraries within the air force.
The three military academies had not been included in Donald Trump's executive order in January that banned DEI instruction, programs or curriculum in kindergarten through 12th grade in schools that receive federal funding. That is because the academies are colleges.
But when Pentagon leaders realized that gap, they initially ordered the Naval Academy to review and remove books and soon after gave the same directive to the other services.
In a statement, the air force said the academy is 'conducting a deliberate review' of the library to comply with department policies.
Army Col Terry Kelley, a West Point spokesperson, said the school 'will complete the directed review with the utmost professionalism and efficiency'.
Hegseth has aggressively pushed the department to erase DEI programs and online content, but the campaign has been met with questions from lawmakers, local leaders and citizens angry over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from defense department websites and social media pages.
In response, the department has scrambled to restore some of those posts as their removals have come to light.