Air Force and Space Force groups that helped create policy and improve the quality of life for women, minorities and LGBTQ+ service members have been dismantled, according to a new memo reviewed by Military.com.
The memo, signed by Acting Air Force Secretary Gary Ashworth, orders "disestablishment of all Department of the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Groups effective immediately" and cited President Donald Trump's executive orders, signed Monday, as the reason. Rose Riley, a Department of the Air Force spokeswoman, confirmed the authenticity of the document.
These Barrier Analysis Working Groups represented a wide range of demographics within the ranks including disabled, Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian American, LGBTQ+ and women. They helped change numerous policies and directives for those service members.
Read Next: Trump Orders 1,500 Active-Duty Troops to Border Ahead of Pentagon Security Plan Deadline
The memo orders the leaders of the groups to "ensure cessation of all [working group] activities, including outward-facing media."
It goes on to instruct that the official endorsement of the service must be removed from all outward-facing groups and must be replaced with a new message: "The views expressed are my own and do not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or the U.S. government."
The purpose of the groups was to identify "potential barriers to equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion, and devising plans to eliminate them," according to an informational service document.
Changes made by the groups include creating lactation rooms for nursing troops on bases, studying and lobbying for beard policies for Black airmen who often have painful skin conditions under shaving requirements, and advocating for better-fitting body armor for women.
The working groups also helped examine what could be done to retain service members within those demographics, a notable effort as the Department of the Air Force has struggled with recruiting in recent years.
"The accomplishments of the teams to eliminate barriers to retention, readiness, opportunity, promotion, and recruitment are legion, particularly the efforts of the Women's Initiative Team," a Department of the Air Force official told Military.com.
Trump signed a flurry of executive orders shortly after taking office Monday and began to unravel many of former President Joe Biden's actions as well.
But the working groups date to well before the Biden administration -- and many of the diversity teams overlapped Trump's first term.
The Department of the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Groups were started back in 2008, according to an Air Force news release, and had been expanded to focus on military personnel. The majority of those expansions happened during Trump's first term, like the creation of the Asian American/Pacific Islander Team in the summer of 2020.
Among the new orders was one titled "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing" -- which was cited in Ashworth's memo to eliminate the service's working groups.
As Trump's administration works to gut such efforts, the government is also warning that efforts to hide diversity, equity and inclusion titles will be investigated.
One such government notice, reviewed by Military.com, pointed to "adverse consequences" if someone doesn't report anyone doing diversity-related work within the next 10 days.
Editor's note: This story was updated with comment from a Department of the Air Force official.
Related: The Air Force's Faltering Effort to Get More Diversity Among Officers May Be Out of Time
