“It is critical for the Department of the Air Force to embody an environment of dignity, respect and inclusivity for all Airmen and Guardians. Our core values demand we hold ourselves to high standards and maintain a culture of respect and trust in our chain of command,” Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, Chief of Staff Charles Brown and Space Force Chief John Raymond said in a memorandum disclosed in the release.
The memorandum targeted images that could be considered “derogatory to any race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, age or disability status.”
For more than a decade, the Air Force has discouraged the use of cartoonish, sexually suggestive “nose art” that decorated military aircraft from an earlier era.
The latest order recommends images that depict a unit’s history, reflect favorably on the Air Force, and are in good taste and non-controversial, according to the release.
The directive comes as a result of year-long initiatives that came out of the military regarding Confederate imagery on military property and the names of its installations.
According to media reports, last month, an Air Force inspector general review found that black men were more likely to be court-martialed than their white colleagues and less likely were given opportunities to lead their fellow military staff and develop their careers.
