2 US Service Academies End Minor in Diversity and Inclusion

THE CENTER SQUARE—West Point Military Academy and the Air Force Academy have both ended their “Diversity and Inclusion Studies” minors.

As late as Jan. 8, West Point, based in New York, offered its diversity, equity, and inclusion minor, while as of Jan. 9 the Air Force Academy, based in Colorado, still offered its DEI minor, according to internet archives. Currently, a minor in “Diversity and Inclusion Studies” is no longer listed on either service academy’s website.

Around the same time the DEI minors disappeared, President Donald Trump ended all DEI programs in federal agencies via an executive order.

When asked why the Air Force Academy ended its minor, Lt. Col. Brian Maguire, deputy director of strategic communications, told The Center Square that “the Department of Defense will fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the President.”

The Air Force Academy is a part of the Department of Defense.

Maguire said the Department of Defense will ensure that the directives “are carried out with utmost professionalism, efficiency, and in alignment with national security objectives.”

When reached for comment, West Point media relations told The Center Square it did not have any information yet but would provide it when available.

West Point’s Diversity and Inclusion Studies minor stated it existed to “expose cadets to varied perspectives & methodologies for understanding and studying the humanities and social sciences.”

“The minor draws on courses in multiple departments and offers cadets a framework for critically and creatively thinking about the broader impact of diversity and inclusion at the individual, organizational, societal, and/or global levels,” the minor’s description said.

Some listed required courses in the minor were “Politics – Race, Gender, Sexuality,” “Topics in Gender History,” and “Social Inequality.”

The Air Force Academy’s DEI minor stated that “the Academy must cultivate leaders who not only understand and recognize the importance of diversity, but who actively create inclusive environments that leverage this diversity toward mission success.”

“Diversity of thought” drives the Air Force and Space Force’s “ability to integrate, adapt, and innovate to meet future challenges,” the minor claimed. Diversity of thought is explained as “enabled by Airmen with unique backgrounds, cultures, demographics, identities, experiences, etc.”

Those who complete the minor are said to be able to “identify and critically assess explanations for construction of specific categories/groups such as sex/gender; race/ethnicity/nation; socio-economic class; religious affiliation; age; (dis)ability; sexual orientation; and cultures.”

Neither the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, nor the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy currently offer minors in DEI of any sort as evidenced by their websites.

Other minors offered by West Point are “American Foundations,” “Nuclear Science,” and “Terrorism Studies.”

Other minors offered by the Air Force Academy are “Space Warfighting,” “Sustainability,” and “American Studies.”

George Leef, the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal director of external relations, told The Center Square that service academies “should not have ‘diversity’ studies.”

The Martin Center is an “educational nonprofit focused on public policy” for higher education in North Carolina and the nation at large, according to its website.

Leef said service academies, “like all colleges and universities, should teach bodies of knowledge.”

“Courses on ‘diversity’ are only based on opinions,” Leef said. “There’s nothing wrong in discussing those opinions, but they should not be central to a course.”

“DEI courses inject politics and almost inevitably undermine freedom of expression because the professors are prone to be so zealous that they can’t tolerate disagreement,” Leef said.

Originally published by The Center Square