Nearly 400 books have been removed from the U.S. Naval Academy's library collection in a DEI purge ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Last week directives were issued to academy authorities to scrutinize their library offerings, with an initial pass identifying roughly 900 publications for further consideration. The process culminated with the exclusion of nearly 400 titles from the shelves, a task completed promptly before Hegseth arrived on a pre-scheduled visit this Tuesday, unrelated to the removal initiative.
This latest action is part of the Trump administration's broader campaign to expunge material related to DEI from federal institutions, which encompasses agency policies, programming, digital communications, social media presence, and educational syllabi across schools.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed late on Tuesday the unified resolve of military academies, stating, "All service academies are fully committed to executing and implementing President Trump's Executive Orders."
While recent presidential decrees in January targeting DEI instruction have predominantly focused on K-12 establishments that receive government funding, the service academies—such as the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado; and West Point Military Academy in New York—stand apart since they function at the collegiate level.
However, the spotlight abruptly swung to the Naval Academy last week when a media report highlighted that books promoting DEI were still on its shelves. A U.S. official revealed that the academy was instructed late last week to carry out a review and removal process, though it remains unclear whether Hegseth or another member of his team issued the order.
A West Point representative confirmed that the institution had concluded a curriculum review and stood ready to scrutinize library content if directed by the Army. The Air Force and Naval academies had also conducted curriculum reviews as mandated.
An official from the Air Force Academy stated that the school regularly reviews its curriculum, coursework, and other materials to ensure compliance with executive orders and Defense Department policies. Last week, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, the superintendent of the Air Force Academy, informed Congress that the school was in the midst of its course review, but made no reference to books.
The officials requested anonymity while discussing academy policies.
Hegseth has been vigorously advocating for the department to eliminate DEI programs and online content. However, this campaign has sparked queries from irate lawmakers, local leaders, and citizens about the erasure of military heroes and historical references from Defense Department websites and social media pages.
In reaction, the department has been scrambling to reinstate some of these posts as their removals have come under scrutiny.
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The misunderstanding surrounding the interpretation of the DEI policy was highlighted on Monday when Naval Academy staff erroneously took down some pictures of notable female Jewish graduates from a display case in anticipation of Hegseth's visit. The photos were later reinstated.
In an official statement, the Navy acknowledged that photos were mistakenly removed from the Naval Academy Jewish Center. It stated that the leadership at the U.S. Naval Academy was promptly taking measures to review and rectify the unauthorized removal.
Hegseth interacted with students and had lunch at the academy on Tuesday, but the media were neither invited nor permitted to report on the visit.
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