The Pentagon has ordered that all books at U.S. military institutions and libraries that relate to diversity, anti-racism, or gender issues be removed in the next two weeks.
The latest directive, signed Friday by Timothy Dill, undersecretary of defense for personnel, states that instructional materials at the libraries "promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the Department's core mission," and requests that department leaders must "promptly identify" books that are not compatible with that mission and sequester them by May 21.
Friday's memo drafts off an earlier memo signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that ordered the U.S. service academies ensure that only the most qualified candidates are admitted and to "apply no consideration of race, ethnicity or sex" when reviewing applicants.
The directives continue the Trump administration's efforts to rid the military of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. A Feb. 27 order signed by Hegseth demanded a "Digital Content Refresh" of all military websites and digital assets.
The order stated that "Components must remove and archive DoD news articles, photos, and videos promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), including content related to critical race theory, gender ideology, and identity-based programs."
In February, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point shut down more than a dozen extracurricular clubs that emphasized race and gender amid the Trump administration's pushback against DEI initiatives. Col. Chad Foster, West Point's deputy commandant, issued the directive, ordering the immediate dissolution of groups such as the Society of Women Engineers and the Korean-American Relations Seminar.
The Pentagon under Hegseth has been pushing for a reset after years of adopting "woke" policies, yet some critics have been concerned that blanket efforts by Hegseth may go too far. In April, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, removed nearly 400 books from its library, with West Point and the Air Force libraries conducting a similar purge weeks later.
In the process, books on the Holocaust, the history of feminism, and Maya Angelou's autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," have been removed.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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