The Pentagon instructs the military to remove books from the library that discuss diversity, anti-racism, and gender topics.

The Pentagon has instructed all military leaders and commands to retrieve and assess their library collections containing content related to diversity, anti-racism, or gender issues by May 21. The memo, released on Friday, outlines this directive to the entire military force.

NOTE: The video is from previous report.

This marks a significant step in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s initiative to eliminate diversity, equity programs, policies, and instructional materials within the military. It represents the most comprehensive and thorough guidance issued on this matter so far, following previous actions to remove numerous books from military academies’ libraries.

Obtained by The Associated Press, the memo was signed by Timothy Dill, who currently holds the responsibilities of the defense undersecretary for personnel. This move highlights the Pentagon’s focused effort to address and potentially remove materials touching on sensitive topics from military libraries.

Educational materials at the libraries “promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the Department’s core mission,” the memo states, adding that department leaders must “promptly identify” books that are not compatible with that mission and sequester them by May 21.

By then, the memo says, additional guidance will be provided on how to cull that initial list and determine what should be removed and “determine an appropriate ultimate disposition” for those materials. It does not say what will happen to the books or whether they will be stored away or destroyed.

According to the memo, a temporary Academic Libraries Committee set up by the department will provide information on the review and decisions about the books. That panel provided a list of search terms to use in the initial identification of the books to be pulled and reviewed.

The search terms include: affirmative action, anti-racism, critical race theory, discrimination, diversity, gender dysphoria, gender identity and transition, transgender, transsexual and white privilege.

Early last month the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Hegseth’s office to get rid of those that promote DEI.

About two weeks later, the Army and Air Force libraries were told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Naval Academy’s purge led to the removal of books on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, civil rights and racism, and Maya Angelou’s famous autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” based on the list of 381 books that have been taken out of its library.

In addition to Angelou’s award-winning book, the list includes “Memorializing the Holocaust,” which deals with Holocaust memorials; “Half American,” about African Americans in World War II; “A Respectable Woman,” about the public roles of African American women in 19th century New York; and “Pursuing Trayvon Martin,” about the 2012 shooting of the Black 17-year-old boy in Florida that raised questions about racial profiling.