Democrats demand answers over book removals at military service academies
Two House Democrats sent letters to the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force on Monday demanding answers over the recent removal of books at service academies.
Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (Penn.), ranking member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, sent the letter after the Naval Academy said it removed 400 books from the Nimitz Library collection.
The academy said the removal was to comply “with all directives outlined in Executive Orders issued by the President.”
The letters sent by Democrats say the review focused on books that had topics relating to “gender ideology” and “discriminatory equity ideology.”
“If true, this is a blatant attack on the First Amendment and a clear effort to suppress academic freedom and rigor at the United States Naval Academy. Moreover, this reported book ban — or any similar efforts that may be ongoing at the United States Military Academy — displays an alarming return to McCarthy-era censorship,” the representatives wrote.
The Democrats are asking the secretaries to answer questions about if the academies were told to review books and, if so, by whom. The representatives also asked which books have been removed.
“To develop the next generation of Army officers, the United States Military Academy must remain committed to intellectual freedom by ensuring the Corps of Cadets can access, explore, and express ideas freely without restriction or interference. Any effort to censor books within the United States Military Library directly undermines the academy’s mission to develop commissioned leaders of character,” they added.
The Hill has reached out to the Navy, Army and Air Force for comment.
Students at military schools have already protested anti-diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that have been supported by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Military schools are where the Trump administration has the most control in the education system since the institutions are run by the Department of Defense.