Air Force Reinstates Historic Videos Amid DEI Review
The U.S. Air Force has reversed its decision to remove training courses featuring videos of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) following widespread backlash from legislators, retired military personnel, and others. The initial removal was part of an effort to comply with the Trump administration’s restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which prohibited DEI-related training across the U.S. government and military.
Compliance with Executive Orders
In a statement, the Air Force confirmed that while it had initially pulled the content on Jan. 23, the training has now been reinstated. Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson, commander of Air Education and Training Command, stated Monday that the courses had been temporarily removed due to their inclusion within a broader DEI training block that was ordered to be eliminated. However, he emphasized that no Airmen or Guardians would ultimately miss this instruction due to the revision, although one group of trainees experienced a delay in receiving the lessons.
This has been immediately reversed. Thank you @SenKatieBritt. https://t.co/bmoJ4obPNL pic.twitter.com/fXCP3lisLN
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 27, 2025
The decision to reinstate the curriculum followed strong criticism from lawmakers and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who took to social media to assert that the removal had been “immediately reversed.”
