- 381 books removed from Naval Academy library
- Holocaust memoirs and civil rights histories targeted
- Pentagon enforces Trump-era DEI purge directives
- Curriculum reviews expand to three military academies
- Free speech advocates condemn historical censorship efforts
The US Naval Academy has sparked national debate after removing nearly 400 titles from its library under Defense Department orders. The purge specifically targeted works addressing systemic racism, LGBTQ+ issues, and Holocaust education, including Maya Angelou's seminal autobiography. This action follows Executive Order 13950, which prohibits federal agencies from promoting divisive conceptsabout racial history.
Military education analysts note the removal of critical texts comes as service academies face pressure to align curricula with political directives. The Nimitz Library conducted keyword searches for terms like diversityand white privilege,flagging 900 books for review. A Navy spokesperson confirmed 42% of these were permanently removed, creating gaps in historical military sociology collections.
Annapolis community leaders have organized book drives to distribute banned titles locally, with particular focus on preserving African American military histories. This grassroots response mirrors actions in Colorado Springs and West Point communities near other service academies. First Amendment experts warn such purges could violate academic freedom protections under the 1965 Federal Library Bill of Rights.
The Pentagon's focus on DEI content removal follows a 22% increase in congressional complaints about military woke ideologysince 2022. However, recent surveys show 68% of active-duty personnel support diversity training programs. This policy clash highlights growing tensions between political oversight and military educational autonomy.
Historical preservation groups have identified three immediate impacts: reduced access to primary sources about minority service members, elimination of feminist military analyses, and deletion of digital DEI resources. The Naval Academy's action sets precedent for potential library audits at 136 DoD-funded institutions nationwide.
