The U.S. Air Force Academy has formally abandoned the use of race as a factor in its admissions process, aligning with a broader Trump administration push to dismantle diversity and inclusion measures across the military.
The policy shift was revealed in a Justice Department court filing on Friday, asking a federal judge to pause a lawsuit brought by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA)—the same group that led the charge to end affirmative action in civilian universities. The filing argues that the case may now be moot, as the Academy “no longer permits any consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex in the admissions process.”
SFFA, led by long-time affirmative action opponent Edward Blum, launched legal attacks on the nation’s elite military schools following its landmark 2023 Supreme Court victory, which ended race-conscious admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The Court had left military academies out of that ruling, citing their "distinct interests," but SFFA didn’t wait long to challenge that exception.
The group subsequently filed lawsuits against the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy, and West Point—moves that gained traction following Donald Trump's November election win. Days after taking office, Trump signed an executive order aimed at stripping diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies from the armed forces.
A February memo from a senior Air Force official put the order into action, eliminating any race- or gender-based admissions goals at the Academy, which trains officers for both the Air Force and Space Force.
The Biden administration had previously defended race-conscious policies in military admissions, arguing they were essential for building trust and representation within the ranks. Courts upheld that position in related cases involving the Naval Academy and West Point—until the political winds shifted.
With the Air Force Academy’s new policy in place, the Justice Department now contends that SFFA's challenge may no longer have legal standing.
Meanwhile, the ripple effects continue: last month, the Naval Academy also halted the use of race in admissions, signaling a systemic DEI rollback across U.S. military education.