Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed U.S. military service academies to eliminate the consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex in admissions, mandating a strictly merit-based selection process beginning with the 2026 admissions cycle. This directive aligns with President Trump’s executive order promoting meritocracy and eliminating race-based and sex-based discrimination in the Armed Forces.
In a memo issued on May 9, Hegseth emphasized that only the most qualified candidates should be admitted to maintain excellence and warfighting readiness across institutions like West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy. He stated, “Selecting anyone but the best erodes lethality, our warfighting readiness, and undercuts the culture of excellence in our Armed Forces.”
The new policy requires the secretaries of the military departments to certify within 30 days that their respective academies will apply no consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex in admissions and will offer admission based exclusively on merit. Factors such as athletic talent, prior military service, and performance at preparatory schools may be considered.
This move follows the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action in college admissions but exempted military academies, allowing them to consider race if they chose. However, the new policy reverses earlier practices such as West Point’s benchmarks for minority representation, which had led to a 38% minority enrollment in the class of 2027.
The directive builds upon President Trump’s January executive order “Restoring America’s Fighting Force,” which states that “no individual or group within our Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, color, or creed.” The order also mandated the abolition of all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices within the Defense Department and banned the promotion of “un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories.” Daily Wire
Hegseth’s actions reflect a broader effort to eliminate DEI-related initiatives within the military, including the removal of certain educational materials and the cancellation of programs focused on diversity. The Pentagon has also directed military leaders to remove books from libraries that promote DEI or “gender ideology,” labeling them as incompatible with the institution’s core mission.
