The Pentagon’s military leaders and commanders were ordered to browse its library Friday and review all books related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the latest U.S. military opposition.

Leaders were ordered to “quickly identify” materials that promote “segmental concepts and gender ideology (That)”, according to a memo seen by the Associated Press. The department gave the leaders until May 21 to delete the books.

Also on Friday, the Pentagon sent another memorandum to the military's training academy that the institution "does not consider race, race, or gender" during the admission process and should focus on "patent rights," although they can allow them to showcase "unique athletic talent" students. The ministry ordered the government to accredit these standards by mid-June.

The book leader’s memorandum followed a similar order, including the U.S. Naval Academy, which deleted nearly 400 books from the library. Books withdrawn from the library include Maya Angelou's I know why the birds in the cage sing, novels by color writers including Palestinian American Etaf Rum, and academic books on race and gender.

The department said the interim “Academic Library Council” will be convened to help other colleges and colleges remove similar books from their collections. Librarians and staff are ordered to use search terms such as “affirmative action,” “anti-racism,” “critical racial theory,” and “white privilege” when determining which books can be deleted.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to remove Dei from the Pentagon, saying that when he took office earlier this year, "our diversity is our strength" is "the stupidest phrase in military history."

Since January, the Trump administration has been monitoring anything the White House believes is within the federal government. The number of specific roles removed is unclear as the federal government has not tracked which roles have been eliminated, but estimates have been fired hundreds or even thousands of employees since the beginning of the year.