Trump’s anti-DEI order yanks air force videos of Tuskegee Airmen and female pilots | Trump administration

Donald Trump’s order halting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives prompted the US Air Force to suspend course instruction for a documentary about the US military’s first black pilots, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, a US official said on Saturday.

Famous black pilots included 450 pilots who fought overseas in segregated units during World War II. Their success in combat helped pave the way for Harry Truman’s decision to desegregate the armed forces in 1948.

Another video about female civilian pilots who were previously trained US Army During World War II, women known as Air Force Service Pilots, or WASPs, were also withdrawn, the official said.

The Air Force did not comment directly on the decision, which was confirmed by an official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The US President has issued a series of executive orders seeking to dismantle DEI programs since taking office on Monday.

DEI programs seek to enhance opportunities for women, racial minorities, and other traditionally underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates say such programs, which Democrats generally support, are necessary to address long-standing structural inequality and racism.

But it has become a rallying cry for conservatives who claim that initiatives focused on race and gender are inherently discriminatory and fail to prioritize merit.

Pete Hegseth, the new Defense Secretary, told lawmakers that he opposes using race as a factor when evaluating candidates for elite U.S. military academies, Reuters reported on Friday.

The Trump administration and its supporters in Congress argue that the US military also needs to be purged of generals who support DEI initiatives, which they say distract from fighting the war.

The U.S. official said the Tuskegee Airmen video and other historical materials have been pulled while the Air Force conducts a curriculum review at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where new recruits receive basic training.

The official stressed that the videos were not targeted but were part of the curriculum that had been suspended pending review.

For its part, the Air Force said in a statement that it is committed to implementing Trump’s orders.

“The Department of the Air Force will implement and implement all directives outlined in the President’s Executive Orders, ensuring they are implemented with the utmost professionalism, efficiency, and consistent with national security objectives,” an Air Force spokesperson said.