Most of the 381 books that the U.S. Naval Academy removed from its library in April after an order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office resulted in a purge of titles are back on the shelves. The Associated Press reported that the decision marks "the latest turn in a dizzying effort to rid the military of materials related to diversity, equity and inclusion programs."
Approximately 20 books from the academy's library have now been pulled aside to be checked, including some that weren't identified or removed in the initial purge, according to defense officials. The AP noted that earlier this month, the Pentagon issued a new detailed directive to all military leaders and commands to pull and review library books addressing diversity, anti-racism or gender issues, but the order contained more specific search words than earlier guidance and verbal orders from Defense Department leaders, which has resulted in far fewer banned books.
In a statement, the Navy said it reviewed the library collections at all of its educational institutions to ensure compliance with the directives, noting that materials have been "identified and sequestered." The Army and Air Force also have reviewed their collections.
A temporary Academic Libraries Committee set up by the department to oversee the process provided a list of search terms to use to determine which books to pull and review, including: affirmative action, anti-racism, critical race theory, discrimination, diversity, gender dysphoria, gender identity and transition, transgender, and white privilege.