Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a directive Friday mandating that U.S. military service academies eliminate all consideration of race, sex, or ethnicity in their admissions processes, aligning with President Donald Trump’s sweeping ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the military.
In a memo addressed to the secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, Hegseth instructed each service to implement a strictly “merit-based” admissions system beginning with the 2026 cycle. The policy shift brings institutions like West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy into compliance with Trump’s January 27 executive order outlawing DEI programming throughout the Department of Defense.
“The Military Service Academies (MSAs) are elite warfighting institutions with long histories of producing world-class military officers,” Hegseth wrote. “The Department owes it to our Nation, our Service members, and the young Americans applying to the MSAs to ensure admissions to these prestigious institutions are based exclusively on merit.”
The order tasks Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jay Hurst with enforcing compliance, marking a decisive step toward eliminating discriminatory practices that have long shaped the military’s officer pipelines.
In February, the administration fired the boards of visitors at all military academies to, in Trump’s words, “purge Woke Leftist Ideologues” from the institutions.
Eliminating DEI policies was a central priority for Hegseth ahead of his Senate confirmation as defense secretary. The former Army officer and Fox News host has vowed to restore what he calls the “warrior ethos” in America’s armed forces.
“Secretary Hegseth understands that restoring the warrior ethos among current and future service members is a matter of national security,” said Nicole Kiprilov, executive director of DOD Watch. “The fact that DEI was intentionally infused into these institutions of higher learning in the first place is absolute lunacy that has harmed our country in every way, and the Trump administration is making it clear that we are putting a definitive end to this.”
The administration has also moved to dismantle DEI across other federal agencies, slashing billions in funding for Biden-era programs and replacing them with initiatives focused on merit and mission readiness.
The DEI rollback has become a central tenet of Trump’s second-term agenda. Administration officials argue that prioritizing identity-based metrics has weakened both public trust and institutional excellence, particularly in national defense.
“The Department must remain steadfast in its pursuit of excellence and never compromise the high standards at our MSAs,” Hegseth concluded in the memo. “A strong officer corps is essential to ensuring the United States military remains the most lethal the world has ever known.”
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