


The U.S. Naval Academy removed close to 400 books after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s order to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion policies from the Department of Defense.
The updates to military academies follow an apparent handwritten note from President Donald Trump that reads “DOD ≠ DEI.” This prompted a review of 900 books by academy officials, who whittled that number down to an undisclosed list of 400 to remove from the library.
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The academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was eager to comply with the order. Pictures of female Jewish graduates were removed from a display case Monday ahead of Hegseth’s Tuesday visit, only to be restored. Other references to minorities, such as Jackie Robinson, the Navajo Code Talkers, and the Tuskegee Airmen, were removed from military websites but later restored.
Pentagon officials have defended these reversals as instances in which the anti-DEI directive was “mistakenly” taken too far.
“Our @NavalAcademy is where commitment begins and where our warfighters are created!” Hegseth wrote of his visit. “The future of our naval forces is in great hands @NavalAcademy.”
PETE HEGSETH UNVEILS ADDITIONAL $580 MILLION IN DOGE CUTS AT PENTAGON
Last year, the Naval Academy was allowed to continue its race-based admissions despite the Supreme Court ruling overturning affirmative action. At the time, U.S. Senior District Judge Richard Bennett ruled that it was a “compelling national security interest” to pursue a diverse class in order to produce a diverse officer corps for the Navy and the Marines.
The Naval Academy has a 10% acceptance rate and boasts roughly 4,450 enrolled students.