The office of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the U.S. Naval Academy to remove about 400 books from its library because the volumes in question would promote content related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Academy officials received the order to examine the library last week. Initially, there were about 900 books that ended up “under investigation.” In the end, under half were removed. At the moment, the list of books removed has not yet been revealed. In any case, the initiative is yet another demonstration of how the Trump administration is determined to remove DEI content from federal agencies and school curricula.
“All service academies are fully committed to executing and implementing President Trump’s Executive Orders,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said this week. Initially the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and the Military Academy at West Point, New York, were not included in the January executive order in which the president banned the promotion of DEI programs in schools receiving federal funding. Pentagon leaders, however, suddenly turned their attention to the U.S. Naval Academy last week when media reports noted that the school had not yet removed the “incriminated” books. Meanwhile, other military schools have also said they are ready for a complete overhaul of their libraries if they receive orders from above.
Several officials at the academies, moreover, explained that the institutes are also reviewing their respective training courses to comply with the Defense Department’s wishes.
In recent weeks, Hegseth has aggressively pushed the agency to delete DEI’s online programs and content: however, his campaign has run up against questions from lawmakers, local leaders, and citizens angered by the removal of military heroes and historical quotes from the department’s websites and social media pages.
