Nancy Floyd, a 316th Force Support Squadron test control officer, instructs a technical sergeant test group at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Feb. 20, 2024. (Matthew-John Braman/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — The Air Force has delayed the start of the promotion cycle for technical sergeants to review testing material and remove content related to diversity, equity and inclusion, the service said Wednesday.
“The upcoming 25E6 promotion testing cycle was scheduled to begin on Feb. 15 and conclude on April 15, 2025, however, the testing cycle has been delayed and will now begin March 3 and conclude May 1, 2025,” an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement. “This delay is to ensure we take appropriate action to evaluate testing materials, remove all DEI-related content in the [Air Force] Handbook and [Career Development Courses] study guides and remain consistent with the orders of our commander in chief and defense secretary.”
The Air Force said the decision to delay testing ensures “limited disruption in the promotion and advancement of airmen.” The service also added that its handbook and CDC study guides were temporarily removed on Jan. 29 to comply with presidential executive orders. Updated versions are expected to be published no later than Feb. 18.
“We are unable to immediately remove all DEI-questions from the test, as this would cause a four-month delay in testing and negatively impact [6,300] promotions,” the spokesperson added. “Until questions can be removed, testers will still see DEI-questions and are expected to answer all questions to the best of their ability. However, any DEI-questions will not be scored.”
Since President Donald Trump took office, he has signed a range of executive orders. In his first week, Trump signed an executive order rolling back all DEI programs across the federal government.
Trump also signed an executive order Jan. 27 calling for the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security to abolish every DEI office within the agencies.
The secretaries of both departments must provide detailed guidance for the implementation of this order to their respective agencies within 30 days of the order signing. Within 180 days, the secretaries must submit a report through the White House deputy chief of staff for policy documenting the progress of implementing the order, along with any recommendations for action to fulfill the objectives of this order.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo Jan. 29 stating race and sex will no longer be considered in military promotions and academy admissions as the Pentagon moves to weed out diversity and equity-based programs across the U.S. military.
“The [Defense Department] will strive to provide merit-based, color-blind, equal opportunities to service members but will not guarantee or strive for equal outcomes,” Hegseth wrote in a memo titled “Restoring America’s Fighting Force.”
The Air Force’s top civilian leader last month directed the closure of a working group that since 2008 has sought to eliminate arbitrary barriers to women’s service, such as providing equipment designed for female pilots who for decades relied on gear designed for men.
A memo signed Jan. 21 by acting Air Force Secretary Gary Ashworth and obtained by The Washington Post directed the “disestablishment” immediately of the Air Force Women’s Initiatives Team, along with other Air Force working groups that dealt with disability, LGBTQ and racial issues.
The Air Force also last month faced severe blowback — and was forced to backtrack — after briefly removing from its recruit-training curriculum educational films about the role that female pilots and the famed Black Tuskegee Airmen of World War II played in service history.
Gen. David Allvin, Air Force chief of staff, in a statement at the time said he directed the service to implement Trump’s orders swiftly — “no equivocation, no slow-rolling, no foot-dragging.” But Allvin said while staff are reviewing training courses to ensure compliance with the orders, no curriculum featuring the Tuskegee Airmen or women Air Force pilots has been removed.
The Air Force has temporarily halted career development courses as part of a broader effort to remove DEI-related content from military training and education.
The Army, Navy and Marine Corps are also reviewing instructional materials to ensure compliance with Trump’s executive orders.
Within the Air Force, the review has led to a pause in career development courses that teach airmen technical skills, along with an evaluation of the service’s “brown book,” which outlines enlisted standards.
