The Air Force Academy has ended the use of race as a consideration in admissions, according to a recent government court filing obtained by Reuters.
Students for Fair Admissions filed lawsuits against the military academies after the Supreme Court said its 2023 ruling — which sided with the advocacy group, known as SFFA, and invalidated race-conscious admissions policies at civilian universities — did not apply to military institutions.
SFFA reportedly targeted the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, with a raft of new complaints.
In a Thursday court filing for the case, the Justice Department said that Gwendolyn R. DeFilippi, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, issued a memo on Feb. 6 stating that “quotas, objectives, and goals based on sex, race or ethnicity for organizational composition, academic admission, career fields, or class composition” had been eliminated from the service branch.
The move by the Air Force to end affirmative action in admissions comes a month after the Naval Academy similarly ended the consideration of race as an admissions factor.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 barring diversity, equity and inclusion programs from the military.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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