The U.S. Air Force is sending teams to a number of bases to ensure compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to a Monday press release.
The service will send teams consisting of approximately five reviewers to nine installations to evaluate how such orders are being implemented, an Air Force spokesperson told Military Times on Wednesday.
The Air Force’s effort stems from the Pentagon’s Jan. 29 memo, “Restoring America’s Fighting Force,” which called for the creation of a task force to oversee efforts to extinguish diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs in the military and implement “merit-based, color-blind policies,” among other initiatives. That directive followed an executive order from Trump calling for the end of all military DEI programs, stating such programs were “eroding lethality and force readiness” by engaging in “race and sex discrimination.”
“The Task Force requires military departments to validate the execution of all Presidentially directed executive orders related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Critical Race Theory, and gender ideology with an emphasis on five elements,” the Air Force release said.
Those elements include the teams verifying that the Air Force is eliminating sex-based, race-based or ethnicity-based quotas for jobs or admissions; not teaching any subjects related to critical race theory, gender ideology or diversity, equity and inclusion; offering a curriculum that teaches America is the most “powerful force for good in human history”; prohibiting boards and councils from instruction related to DEI subjects; and is not considering sex, race or ethnicity during promotion or selection processes.
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The “validation teams” — made up of “leaders with expertise in curriculum, promotion boards, and the five assessment elements,” according to the release — will tentatively visit the following bases from March 17 to March 28, according to an Air Force spokesperson:
- Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado
- U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado
- Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado
- Randolph Air Force Base, Texas
- Joint Base San Antonio, Texas
- Keesler Air Force Base, Missouri
- Hurlburt Field Air Force Base, Florida
- Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
- Robins Air Force Base, Georgia
While there, the teams will review documents, analyze data, conduct interviews, lead focus groups and audit classrooms, according to the release. After the teams complete their work, the department will continue to monitor compliance through “in-progress reviews,” the release said.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues its purge of DEI-related content from military websites, including the Air Force. Air Force webpages on historic female pilots have been taken offline, including at least a dozen related to WWII-era Women’s Airforce Service Pilots and retired Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, the Air Force’s first female fighter pilot, Air Force Times previously reported.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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