An important handbook used by enlisted airmen to study for their promotion evaluations has been removed by the Air Force following President Donald Trump's executive orders eliminating all diversity education within the ranks, making it more complicated for troops to prepare for their upcoming tests.
Air Force Handbook 1, the primary 600-plus-page study document used by enlisted airmen to score well for the Weighted Airman Promotion System, called WAPS, and on the Promotion Fitness Examination was taken off the website late last month.
"As part of the ongoing efforts to implement and comply with all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the president, a thorough review of all applicable curriculum is being conducted," a notice on the Air Force's study guide website states. "As a result of this review, the Air Force Handbook 1 is being temporarily rescinded. We understand this decision may impact your ability to study for the annual and supplemental promotion cycles."
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The removal of the Air Force Handbook 1 -- which includes sections applauding diversity within the service, criticizes stereotypes and recognizes Black and female aviators -- comes as the testing window for enlisted airmen to promote to technical sergeant is right around the corner, starting Feb. 15, per Department of the Air Force documents.
"Although there are no testing schedule changes anticipated at this time, leadership teams will communicate any potential changes to impacted airmen," an Air Force official told Military.com. "The [Department of the Air Force] will continue to assess the impacts to WAPS testing to protect both the integrity of the promotion system and our airmen."
Retired Chief Master Sgt. Eric Benken, who served as the Air Force's top enlisted leader from 1996 to 1999, told Military.com that it's not uncommon to have those materials updated to keep up with the latest Air Force policies, strategies and objectives.
"It happens probably more often than you think, for various reasons," Benken told Military.com. "They'll adjust the tests to match whatever the material is."
But, notably, these latest revisions to Handbook 1 will come amid Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's major push to rid the ranks of any diversity training and education, which has been interpreted widely by the military to mean materials dealing with women, minorities and LGBTQ+ service members.
Military.com reviewed a copy of the Air Force Handbook 1 study guide published in November 2024 and noticed nearly 20 mentions of diversity within the text. One section titled "Leveraging Diversity" proudly explains the Air Force's commitment to inclusion within the ranks.
"Our work environment today is more diverse than ever. Diversity is a military necessity," the section reads. "USAF capabilities and warfighting skills are enhanced by diversity among military personnel. At the core, diversity provides collective strengths, perspectives and capabilities that transcend individual contributions."
In another section titled "Respecting Individuality," it disencourages airmen from labeling people with stereotypes.
"In an effort to acknowledge the richness and benefits of diversity, we must increase awareness of individuality and expel stereotypes," Handbook 1 states. "Stereotypes regarding age, experience, background or perspective are detrimental to organizations."
An Air Force spokesperson did not respond by publication time on whether there had been any other version of the November 2024 handbook released prior to its removal online late last month.
Notably, Air Force Handbook 1 also includes chapters highlighting the prohibition of discrimination within the ranks and recalls the history of the Black Tuskegee Airmen, as well as female aviators. It also praises their inclusion into the ranks.
"The Tuskegee Airmen's actions in the skies over North Africa, the Mediterranean, Sicily, Italy, Austria, Yugoslavia, France, Romania, and Germany dispelled myths, opened eyes, rewrote history, and prepared the USAF for being the first of the U.S. Armed Services to integrate racially," the handbook reads.
Last month, news that the Air Force removed training materials related to the Women's Airforce Service Pilots and the Tuskegee Airmen from the service's boot camp was widely condemned.
Hegseth said on social media the decision was reversed, but the San Antonio Express-News in Texas reported last week that at least one such video -- which applauds diversity -- was still not being used.
The service also quickly removed its Barrier Analysis Working Groups -- which advocated for quality-of-life changes related to female, minority and LGBTQ+ airmen, such as beard policies and better-fitting body armor.
A Jan. 31 memo from the Department of the Air Force announced it "will not
use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural
awareness months" such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Women's History Month, Black History Month, Juneteenth, National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Air Force's study guide website said the service is "working to provide alternative study materials to support your professional development and career advancement," and added that new materials should be available to airmen by Feb. 15.
"We will provide regular status updates and any potential effects on the testing cycle as soon as we are able," according to the promotion study guide website.
Related: Air Force Groups that Advocated for Beard Policies, Better Body Armor Are Gutted by Trump Directive
