Naval Academy closing DEI offices to align with Trump executive orders: memo
2025-02-08
Category: political

The head of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, says&nbsp;the school is "taking steps to close all agency Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) offices and end all DEIA-related contracts in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders," according to an email obtained by Fox News.&nbsp; The Naval Academy clarified after publication that it has not had a DEI office since at least the summer of 2024, to align with the Fiscal Year 2024 defense spending bill passed by Congress, and that no office has been closed as a result of the executive order. The message sent to staff by Vice Adm. Yvette Davids in late January began by noting, "The President has directed that the following information be forwarded to all employees."&nbsp; "We are taking steps to close all agency Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) offices and end all DEIA-related contracts in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions," it said.&nbsp; "Concerns have been raised that some of these programs may have been modified in a way that obscures their DEIA objectives," Davids added.&nbsp; WEST POINT DISBANDS GENDER-BASED, RACE CLUBS IN TRUMP’S DEI SWEEP&nbsp;  She also asked in the email that if any Naval Academy staff are "aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies," to report "all facts and circumstances" to the Office of Personnel Management.&nbsp; "The U.S. Naval Academy did not have a DEI or DEIA office prior to the President’s executive order that mandated closure of all agency DEIA offices and the end of all DEIA-related contracts," U.S. Navy spokesman Commander Tim Hawkins told Fox News. "The U.S. Naval Academy sent the Jan. 23 email internally to staff simply to inform its personnel that the executive order was issued and USNA would fully comply. The Navy is executing and implementing all directives issued by the President with professionalism, efficiency, and in full alignment with national security objectives." A human resources official at the school also sent out an email Monday telling staff, "To be in compliance with the recent DOD directive, no USNA email address should include gender-identifying pronouns on any email signature line."&nbsp; BALTIMORE MAYOR DOUBLING DOWN ON DEI WITH ‘DEFINITELY EARNED IT’ CAMPAIGN&nbsp;  The directives come as West Point has disbanded a number of identity-based clubs at the military academy to comply with Trump’s executive orders and new Pentagon guidance, Fox News has confirmed. &nbsp; Some of the clubs no longer sanctioned by the university include the Asian-Pacific Forum, the Korean-American relations seminar, the Latin Cultural Club, the National Society of Black Engineers Club and the Society of Women Engineers Club. &nbsp;  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP&nbsp; The U.S. Military Academy communications office said the clubs had been dissolved because they were affiliated with the DEI office. &nbsp; Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.&nbsp;