‘We need the talent’: Military gives up recruiting opportunity at prestigious Black Engineer Awards amid DEI fears
Despite a recruiting shortage, the U.S. military gave up a significant recruiting opportunity at the prestigious Black Engineer of the Year Awards over DEI concerns.
Since entering office, President Donald Trump has been on a mission to topple DEI efforts as he spreads debunked claims that it discriminates against white people and leads to the hiring of unqualified candidates. He quickly signed Executive Orders, striking down DEI initiatives in the government and rescinding longstanding Executive Orders aimed at protecting marginalized populations from discriminatory hiring practices. Meanwhile, his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has brought the DEI purge to the military. Instead of prioritizing making America safe or remedying recruitment shortages, one of Hegseth’s first moves was to ban the military’s observance and celebration of Black History Month and Women’s History Month. He also prioritized banning books for children of U.S. military families.
As absurd as it is to have a Secretary of Defense who’s so fragile he’s frightened of Black History Month and books, this was all to be expected. Attacking DEI was never about creating a “meritocracy.” It was always about erasing women and BIPOC individuals and telling them they’re not welcome in the government or military under Trump. After all, the military just made it painfully clear that it believes even just considering hiring qualified Black individuals is a DEI violation.
Military backs out of talent-dense recruiting opportunity
As reported by Military.com, the U.S. military is ending its recruitment efforts at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA), an annual conference celebrating minority achievements in STEM. The conference is known to draw in a wide array of professionals, academics, and students, creating the perfect talent-dense pool for military recruiters to scope. As a result, the military had a longstanding relationship with BEYA and would participate in the event with Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarships and recruiting pitches.
However, the Army Recruiting Command, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force have all confirmed they will not participate in the event and have forbidden service members from attending in uniform or any official capacity. They have cited fears that attendance will violate Trump’s DEI takedown. The decision is perplexing, as this is a prestigious event that draws in some of the best talent in the country.
One anonymous recruiter told Military.com, “This is one of the most talent-dense events we do. Our footprint there has always been significant. We need the talent.” This isn’t some DEI fair that the military was forced to go to and recruit at. It’s an opportunity it took advantage of to find qualified candidates in a talent-dense conference. The military’s refusal to attend BEYA is basically saying it won’t look at high-quality talent that’s right under its nose. The move also will likely set a precedent for the military to refuse similar conferences and prestigious events if they have anything to do with recognizing minorities or women. It may not matter if these events are gathering the best of the best; if the title has “Black” or “women” in it, it’s likely disqualified.
Military.com noted that, while the military recruiting unit refused to attend BEYA, it did attend a predominantly white National Rifle Association-sponsored event far less likely to attract high-quality talent. When Trump and Hegseth tout their “meritocracy,” America will soon realize that it’s just code for their own version of DEI, which means hiring anyone who looks and thinks like them without regard for talent or qualifications. It’s quite disturbing it only took the military a few weeks to get dangerously close to outright saying it won’t consider women and BIPOC individuals regardless of how qualified they are.
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