The Air Force clarified on Sunday that new recruits will learn about the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Air Force Service Pilots during their basic training, after a course that included videos on the two World War II-era groups was briefly removed for revisions.
Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson, head of Air Education and Training Command, said in a statement on Sunday that no curriculum or content about the groups has been taken out of Basic Military Training. The clarification came after the Air Force took steps to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, or “DEI programs.” Robinson’s comments come after a memo circulated among Air Force personnel noting that several classes, including one that featured video about the famed Black airmen of World War II, were pulled. The “block,” Robinson said, that included the lessons also included unspecified “DEI material” which AETC was directed to remove, with revisions starting on Thursday, Jan. 23. Robinson said that the changes made makes the BMT curriculum “fully aligned” with the executive order.
The revisions have apparently been made, with the revised course now set to resume on Monday, Jan. 27. AETC has not said what material was purged to meet the executive order.
The original memo, which was also posted to social media pages including the popular “Air Force amn/nco/snco” Facebook group, identified courses removed from Basic Military Training. The course on “airmandedness” had three videos cited in the memo as reasons for removal. That included ones on the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Air Force Service Pilots as well as a third entitled “Breaking Barriers.” The San Antonio Express-News first reported on the memo and course removal on Friday.
“No Airmen or Guardians will miss this block of instruction due to the revision, however one group of trainees had the training delayed. The revised training which focuses on the documented historic legacy and decorated valor with which these units and Airmen fought for our Nation in World War II and beyond will continue on 27 January,” Robinson’s statement continued. “The Air Force has not removed these Airmen’s incredible heritage from any training. Their personal examples of service, sacrifice and combat effectiveness are illustrative of the core values, character and warrior ethos necessary to be an Airman and Guardian.”
Trump issued his executive order on Tuesday, Jan. 21, directing the repeal of all DEI programs and related media. The Army and Air Force in turn issued their own orders to personnel addressing that inside their respective branches.
The Tuskegee Airmen, the nickname for the 332nd Fighter Group, were the only Black fighter group in the U.S. military during World War II. Trained during the time when the military was still segregated, the airmen saw extensive action over Europe protecting American bombers and were celebrated for their achievements during the war. The WASP program, which operated during World War II, trained civilian women to fly military aircraft; they in turn ferried planes around the country and trained new Army Air Force pilots.
The clarification by Robinson and AETC comes after Air Force officials gave multiple comments over the weekend addressing the changes. In a statement on Saturday to Task & Purpose, an Air Force official said that “[i]mmediate steps were taken to remove curriculum that is now under review to ensure compliance with Executive Orders issued by the President.“ The videos highlighted in that memo were also described by the official as “interwoven into Air Force curriculum” and “not the direct focus of course removal actions.” Robinson’s statement instead describes the changes as “adjustments.”