Trump orders purge of military academy visitor boards

• His moves have already impacted life at U.S. military academies. West Point has shuttered a dozen clubs, including a group that promotes female leaders, to comply with his DEI directives.

Driving the news: Trump called for new appointees to the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard in a Monday Truth Social post.

• "We will have the strongest Military in History, and that begins by appointing new individuals to these Boards," he wrote.

Flashback: Trump isn't the first president to remove board members.

• In 2021, then-President Biden told military academy board members appointed by Trump during his first term to resign, sparking political backlash.
• The Biden White House argued they purged 18 members of service academy boards, including former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway, over concerns about their qualifications.

Context: The four military academies affected by Trump's directive each have a Board of Visitors made up of six appointees from the president, four designated by the Speaker of the House, three from the vice president, a designee (or the chair) from the House Armed Services Committee and a designee (or the chair) from the Senate Armed Services Committee.

• According to US code, those members visit their designated academies annually, reviewing morale, discipline, curriculum, fiscal affairs and other matters.

• Current appointees on West Point's Board of Visitors include Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who serve aside presidential appointees.
• Presidential appointees on the Naval Academy board include John S. McCain IV, the son of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Adm. Michelle Howard, the first Black woman to command a U.S. Navy combatant ship.
• Members appointed by the president serve for three years.

Go deeper: Trump starts military overhaul by ousting first female Coast Guard commandant