From 2005 to 2023, the number of women serving active-duty roles in the U.S. military rose by 12%, while the number of men fell by more than 10%, according to Pentagon data. A third of active-duty enlisted service members came from racial minority groups in 2023 — a higher percentage than in 2010.
Those figures from the Department of Defense's most recent demographics report help explain why military experts who spoke with NPR are concerned the Trump administration's orders to root out digital content "promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" could undermine military recruiters' ability to connect with potential service members from important demographics.
In their view, materials now being labeled as "DEI" are actually a form of targeted advertising.
"There's a strategic reason why you have a website about [Medal of Honor recipient Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers] or a website about the Navajo Code Talkers," says Wayne Lee, a former Army officer who is a history professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
It's because, he says, "we continue to want to recruit from populations who identify with those people and who see them as their ancestors and who want to emulate their service."
The Pentagon says its goal is to cull material related to diversity and cultural awareness, under orders from President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But the removal of webpages about American role models — from Jackie Robinson's military service to female pilots who have flown the B-2 stealth bomber — triggered outrage and suspicion.
Some of those pages have been restored, with a Pentagon official telling NPR that the military's review of images, stories and social media posts has been too hasty in some respects. Earlier, the U.S. Air Force said its basic training curriculum would once again include lessons about the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP.
The Army remains "committed to sharing the enduring legacies of our brave Soldiers, units, and sacrifices," U.S. Army spokesperson Christopher Surridge said when asked about removed content.
"They're talking about it" in minority communities, a veteran says
Bobby Jones, a Black Navy veteran who is president of the nonpartisan group Veterans for Responsible Leadership, says the Trump administration's actions send a clear message to anyone who might be interested in military service — but isn't white and male.
"You just fired the only two people on the Joint Chiefs of Staff that were not white men," says Jones, a Georgia native who was once an admissions counselor for the U.S. Naval Academy.
"I mean, you literally just did that. And you think we don't notice? You think people are not paying attention?" Jones says. "You don't think that that's going to affect the recruiter that goes overwhelmingly to the Black and Latino high schools in this country to recruit? It does. They're talking about it in the churches. They're talking about it in the schools."
The new anti-DEI policies come in an era when recruiters have repeatedly struggled to meet annual targets.
Last October, the armed services recruited "12.5% more people in fiscal year 2024 than in the year prior despite a challenging and disinterested recruiting market," the DOD said. But the report added that for the first time, "most young people have never considered the option of serving in the military," citing Director of Military Accession Policy Katie Helland.
When NPR asked how the Army plans to reach women and minorities under the new directives, the service's main recruiting arm said its mission is unchanged.
"We will continue to recruit qualified, top talent into the Army," U.S. Army Recruiting Command spokesperson Madison Bonzo said. "USAREC is focused on enlisting America's best and brightest to produce the most lethal fighting force in the world, ensuring our Nation's security."
When asked about criticisms of the content removals and their potential harm to recruiting efforts, the Pentagon referred NPR to a video statement by chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, in which he said the Trump administration is archiving content because of what Parnell called the Biden administration's "zealous and destructive commitment to DEI."
Material that is incorrectly taken down is being quickly restored, Parnell added.
"We are so proud of our nation's heroes and our heritage," he said. "We honor the accomplishments of our warfighters and the content of their character."
Militaries have long benefited from diversity
The U.S. military has for decades offered career paths to people of color and young women, empowered by two momentous changes in 1948: President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 requiring "equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin," and he signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, which opened military careers to women (with stipulations).
Those changes came shortly after the end of World War II, when "the Army had become the nation's largest minority employer," as the National Archives notes.
Both Lee and Jones note that Black Americans have long been overrepresented in the military compared to their share of the U.S. population. They say the dynamic has been less about being progressive than about recruits seeking opportunity and the military needing to be effective.
"Because of necessity, the military had to be progressive in their thinking when it came to dealing with people," Jones says. "George Washington initially did not want Black soldiers; he had no choice due to the situation," after the British began offering freedom to enslaved people.
"The American experience has always been one of diversity — forced, accepted or otherwise," Jones said. "The United States military historically has just been a reflection of its culture. It's a snapshot of the culture that it's defending."
Historically, Lee notes, military necessity has led other successful world powers to make adjustments that shifted cultural standards.
"The Romans are one of the best examples," he says. "Arguably one of the best and most effective explanations for the success of Roman expansion was their very ability to incorporate other peoples into their military."
Today, Lee says, America risks undercutting its own military history with actions that he says denigrate minority service members' accomplishments and heritage.
"This is not merely fluff," he says. "History is a strategic tool in the DOD toolbox, and at the moment they're breaking it."
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