The Military Led Diversity Efforts. West Point’s Club Ban Is a Shift.

In 2015, while serving as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Vincent Vu played a key role in establishing the Vietnamese-American Cadet Association. Reflecting on his time at the academy this week, he acknowledged the challenges of adjusting to West Point’s culture, particularly as someone without a military background.https://svtoday.org/

However, Vu emphasized that West Point’s affinity groups were far from exclusionary. Instead, they provided crucial support for individuals like him, easing their integration into the cadet ranks and the broader Army. These groups, he noted, ultimately helped shape him into a stronger officer.

“West Point was probably the first place where I felt truly supported in embracing my identity,” said Vu, a former air defense artillery officer who is now a second-year law student at Wake Forest University.

Despite the value these groups provided, affinity organizations centered around race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation at West Point are now under threat due to an executive order signed by President Trump on his first day in office.

The order called for the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) initiatives across federal agencies and federally funded programs, aligning with Trump’s vision of a “colorblind and merit-based” society. His administration has aggressively moved to eliminate policies and individuals perceived as advocating for such initiatives.

In response, West Point announced on Tuesday that it was immediately dissolving 12 affinity groups, including the Vietnamese-American Cadet Association, while reviewing others.

The decision sparked widespread criticism. By Thursday, the academy suggested it might reconsider and potentially reinstate some, if not all, of these organizations.

Military historians have long pointed out that the armed forces have often led societal progress in racial integration. Many warn that eliminating D.E.I. programs could jeopardize that progress.

“A military force is most effective when its composition reflects the demographics of the society it serves,” said Diane M. Ryan, a retired Army colonel and associate dean at Tufts University. Ryan, who taught psychology at West Point, also oversaw the Corbin Forum—a leadership club for female cadets—for many years.

In recent legal battles over affirmative action, the federal government has echoed this perspective, defending military academies’ ability to consider race in admissions as essential for recruiting and maintaining a diverse officer corps.

The Supreme Court found this argument compelling enough to make an exception for military academies in its 2023 ruling that struck down affirmative action in college admissions. The justices acknowledged that these institutions might have “distinct interests” in considering race and left the matter open for future legal challenges.

However, the landscape has shifted rapidly under the new administration.

Within 24 hours of Trump’s inauguration, the U.S. Coast Guard’s top officer, Adm. Linda L. Fagan—the first woman to lead a branch of the armed forces—was dismissed. Among the reasons cited for her removal was an alleged “excessive focus” on D.E.I. policies.

Trump’s January executive order mandated the closure of all government D.E.I. offices, reversing Biden-era efforts aimed at combating discrimination and fostering diversity within federal agencies. Shortly afterward, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo labeling D.E.I. initiatives “incompatible” with the Department of Defense’s values.

Hegseth also established a task force to eliminate any remaining D.E.I.-related programs, arguing they undermined meritocracy and promoted unconstitutional discrimination. In another sweeping move, he declared that observances like Black History Month and Women’s History Month were “dead” within the Department of Defense, prohibiting the use of government resources for such cultural awareness events.

As of this week, it remained unclear whether other military academies had followed West Point’s lead in dismantling affinity groups. But as news of West Point’s decision spread, academy officials scrambled to mitigate backlash.

Chad Foster, the West Point deputy commandant who signed the order, attempted to clarify the academy’s stance in social media posts. He indicated that the institution was exploring ways to revise club charters or incorporate them into academic departments to allow continued operation.

“Of course, I’ve enjoyed being called a Nazi and receiving death threats during this typical internet frenzy,” he wrote, adding, “Rest assured, we are working on a structured review process and possible reinstatement of these organizations.”

According to Foster, the affected clubs had been directly linked to the now-defunct office of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many of these groups had organized speaker series, luncheons, and off-campus events. While each club had a specific focus, all cadets—regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation—were welcome to participate. Dr. Ryan noted that men frequently comprised about 20% of attendees at Corbin Forum events.

A memo from Colonel Foster, dated February 4, stated that the clubs were “hereby disbanded” and prohibited from conducting even informal activities using government resources, time, or facilities.

West Point’s communications office later clarified that, in accordance with Department of Defense directives, the Army would no longer allocate official resources for cultural observances or awareness events. However, cadets would still be free to participate in such activities outside of duty hours.

Among the 12 clubs affected were the Asian-Pacific Forum Club, the Contemporary Cultural Affairs Seminar Club, the Latin Cultural Club, and the National Society of Black Engineers Club.

West Point emphasized that over 100 other clubs remained available to cadets and that religious organizations were not impacted.

Alex Morey, vice president of campus advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said her organization was monitoring whether such orders infringed on students’ First Amendment rights to free expression.

For many alumni, the move felt like a personal loss. Molly Shannon, a 2016 West Point graduate, credited the academy’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers with providing invaluable mentorship. She was dismayed to see it included on the list of groups set to be eliminated.

“It was heartbreaking,” she said. “I know how much that community meant to me.”

The Corbin Forum, which held special significance for female cadets, was also shuttered. The group was founded in 1976 alongside the first class of women admitted to West Point. Dr. Ryan, who oversaw the club from 2008 to 2017, rejected the argument that such groups were divisive.

“The way this has been framed is that we can’t have these groups because they create division,” she said. “But I argue the opposite: They foster unity by bringing people together, not driving them apart.”

Dr. Ryan herself had entered the military through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps because she was unaware that West Point accepted women in the early 1980s. “Representation matters,” she added.

Meanwhile, West Point officials sought to strike a conciliatory tone. Colonel Foster assured cadets that efforts were underway to align club operations within institutional guidelines while preserving professional and personal development opportunities.

“No one enjoys delivering bad news to young people,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “Trust me.”