Trump campaigned on a promise to purge the U.S. military of officers he deemed "woke" and has used the start of his second term to try and rid the Pentagon of diversity initiative

Members of academy boards of visitors are appointed variously by the president, vice president and members of Congress.

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.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) filed a federal lawsuit on January 28 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Trump Administration in response to the order, saying the ban violates equal protection.