The Air Force Academy has made a significant change to its admissions process by no longer considering the race, gender, or ethnicity of applicants. This decision comes in response to a lawsuit claiming that the academy’s previous policy was discriminatory. The Justice Department announced this shift in a filing on Friday.
According to the filing, Gwendolyn R. DeFilippi, the acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, issued a memorandum in February. This memo stated that the academy would eliminate any quotas or goals based on race or gender in its admissions process. The change aligns with an executive order from President Trump, which emphasized that the armed forces should not operate with any preferences based on race or sex.
The Air Force Academy, located in Colorado, is the second military academy to adopt this new policy. Recently, the Naval Academy also updated its admissions guidelines to exclude race, ethnicity, and gender as factors in the evaluation process.
Both the Air Force and Naval Academy changes were prompted by ongoing lawsuits that were filed before Trump took office. The Justice Department’s filings requested to delay court hearings while these new policies were implemented. They plan to provide updates to the court in 60 days.
This move reflects a broader trend in military admissions, aiming to ensure that all candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications, without consideration of their background.