Air Force Academy no longer considering race in admissions

The Air Force Academy has axed affirmative action in its admissions, the government said in a recent court filing.  

Students for Fair Admissions, which won the Supreme Court case in 2023 that took away race-conscious admissions in public universities, sued the military academies after the justices said their ruling does not apply to those institutions.  

The Justice Department said in a Thursday court filing for the case that on Feb. 6, acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Gwendolyn R. DeFilippi issued a memorandum stating “quotas, objectives, and goals based on sex, race or ethnicity for organizational composition, academic admission, career fields, or class composition” were eliminated.  

The court filing was first reported by Reuters. 

The move comes a month after the Naval Academy also ended affirmative action in its admissions process.  

President Trump signed an order early in his second term banning all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at government institutions.  

The executive order has affected other aspects of the military academies such as the Naval Academy removing books related to DEI from its library and the Air Force Academy and West Point has said it is ready to review its titles if needed.