Feb 27, 2025 Story by: Editor
The Army and other military branches have decided to withdraw from a major Black engineering event, stepping away from a valuable opportunity to connect with highly qualified potential recruits. This move aligns with President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives within the military.
Until now, Army Recruiting Command had maintained a strong public partnership with the Black Engineer of the Year Awards, an annual conference that attracts students, academics, and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
“In compliance with Department of Defense and Headquarters Department of the Army guidance, U.S. Army Recruiting Command will not participate in the upcoming BEYA event,” Madison Bonzo, a service spokesperson, told Military.com in a statement. “Service members and civilians are permitted to attend this event in an unofficial/personal capacity if they choose to do so.”
Officials from BEYA did not respond to requests for comment.
The Navy, Air Force, and Space Force have also opted out of attending the event in an official capacity, with personnel prohibited from appearing in uniform. It remains unclear whether the Marine Corps will continue its participation.
Two defense officials told Military.com that other recruiting efforts aimed at specific racial or gender groups may also be discontinued. This includes conferences and career fairs that typically attract thousands of participants.
The decision to pull out of the BEYA event marks a significant shift in military recruiting strategies and has sparked accusations of discrimination.
Despite withdrawing from BEYA, a well-established hub for STEM talent, the Army recently participated in a National Rifle Association-sponsored event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Recruiters acknowledge that this predominantly white event is less likely to yield high-quality applicants.
The BEYA conference has long been a critical platform for military recruitment, competing with Silicon Valley for top-tier STEM talent. It has historically featured high-ranking military leaders and numerous recruitment initiatives. Top sponsors include Lockheed Martin and Google.
“The U.S. military is one of the largest STEM employers in the nation, yet its critical role in driving technological innovation often goes overlooked and misunderstood by the civilian sector,” BEYA’s website states. “BEYA works to bridge this gap by highlighting the vast STEM opportunities available within the armed forces and showcasing military leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”
Beyond its role in recruitment, BEYA has also been a venue for military recognition. In 2023, Gen. Randy George, the Army’s top officer, awarded retired Maj. Gen. Robert Edmonson II the prestigious Stars and Stripes General Officer of the Year Award for his contributions to national security.
“It’s our mission to keep the United States safe from a range of 21st-century threats,” former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during the 2023 BEYA ceremony. “We’re determined to continue innovating to make America more secure; that means drawing on the strengths of all people.”
Several Army recruiters told Military.com that this decision signals a deeper shift in the Pentagon’s stance on diversity initiatives, particularly those aimed at recognizing and supporting women, minority troops, and LGBTQ+ service members. Meanwhile, Trump has pursued separate efforts to remove transgender personnel from the military.
Newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has prioritized dismantling diversity efforts at the Pentagon. The military has been instructed to erase references to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs from official documents and websites. Trump and Hegseth argue that DEI initiatives weaken the armed forces.
Hegseth has falsely claimed that the military employs race- and gender-based quotas for promotions and assignments. In reality, no such policies exist—though some efforts aim to ensure the military reflects the broader U.S. population.
Much of Hegseth’s rollback of diversity policies has involved bureaucratic changes, such as replacing “gender” with “sex” in official language and eliminating heritage month observances, including Black History Month.
However, some officials see the decision to withdraw from BEYA as a more direct effort to limit outreach to Black applicants.
This shift follows another recent move: the Army Band’s cancellation of a concert at George Mason University, where it was set to perform music by Janelle Monáe, a Black singer and rapper.
Recruiters argue that the Army’s involvement in the Black engineering awards has always been about securing top-tier talent, not race. The military’s increasing reliance on STEM expertise has made events like BEYA even more essential for attracting skilled candidates, especially as the competition for qualified recruits intensifies.
“The military has been selecting on merit the whole time,” said Katherine Kuzminski, a military and veterans expert at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C. “Some people might be seeing how the civilian world has handled DEI issues and applying that view to the military, but it has frameworks in law and policy, all these interwoven standards that are rigorous and always have been rigorous.”
The number of Black recruits in the Army—the largest branch of the military—has increased in recent years. Internal data from 2022 reviewed by Military.com shows that Black applicants accounted for 24% of new enlistments, even though Black Americans make up only 14% of the general U.S. population.
The Pentagon’s ongoing recruitment challenges stem largely from a shrinking pool of qualified candidates, as more applicants struggle to meet academic standards on the military’s SAT-style entrance exam.
To address this, the Navy and Army have introduced pre-basic training prep courses to help applicants improve their test scores and qualify for enlistment. These programs have been instrumental in reversing the military’s recruiting slump, which has persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic.
BEYA, which takes place in Baltimore, has long been a key venue for Pentagon recruitment, offering Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarships and promoting military service to aspiring engineers. The event has previously featured appearances by the Army chief of staff and the defense secretary.
“This is one of the most talent-dense events we do,” an Army recruiter told Military.com, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Our footprint there has always been significant. We need the talent.”
The decision to withdraw from BEYA follows Trump’s broader efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives within the Pentagon. Multiple sources familiar with the decision said military leaders feared attending the predominantly Black event would conflict with Trump’s directives.
On January 31, Hegseth declared that heritage month observances—including Black History Month and Women’s History Month—were officially “dead” and would no longer be recognized by the military. Source: Military.com
