The academy’s oversight board records show leaders dismantling DEI to align with Trump directives. Critics warn the military is becoming “a Christian nationalist praetorian guard.”


Erika Kirk sits for a town hall event moderated by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss in New York City, which broadcast on Dec. 13, 2025. Photo: Michele Crowe/CBS News via Getty Images

Records from the United States Air Force Academy’s oversight board show leaders dismantling diversity programs and reviewing curriculum as the board embraces what critics call a concerning ideological turn toward Christian nationalism and prepares to seat conservative activist Erika Kirk.

The communications, revealed in December 2025 meeting minutes reviewed by The Intercept, come as the administration has employed religious rhetoric in its military policies. Amid the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran, some service members and political supporters have framed the war in religious terms, including describing it as part of “God’s divine plan.” Other federal agencies have also openly embraced white nationalist rhetoric and imagery, including a Department of Homeland Security recruitment post that used a neo-Nazi-associated anthem days after the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis.

When the White House announced Kirk’s appointment to fill her late husband’s seat on the board, it highlighted Charlie Kirk’s “bold Christian faith,” language critics say suggests religion was treated as a qualification for the role.

“The appointment of Erika Kirk to the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors goes hand in hand with Christian nationalist incursions into our armed forces, such as Pete Hegseth’s actions and statements promoting his fervent brand of evangelical Christianity at the Pentagon,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

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