The U.S. Military’s withdrawal from a 40-year-old STEM event in Baltimore as part of its campaign to discontinue “DEI” programs and push back against a perceived “wokeness” among American troops is a significant development.

The Becoming Everything You Are Conference (BEYA), formerly known as the Black Engineer of the Year Award Conference, has been taking place in Baltimore for four decades. It serves as a platform for students pursuing STEM degrees to network with colleges and employers, and last year, it attracted 300 recruits from the Pentagon.

According to its organizers, BEYA secured funding from the Pentagon, including $1.5 million, to participate in the event. However, recent cancellations, including regime of various military branches at the Pentagon citing a January 31st memo titled “Identity Months Dead at DoD” that ended the US military’s involvement with “cultural awareness,” have left officials baffled.

BEYA’s organizers, specifically Tyrone Taborn, are perplexed by the decision, stating that the event fosters a supportive environment for students and has been a major recruiting ground for potential recruits. “BeYA is the major recruiting activity for everybody, and they put all their money behind this,” he said. “It’s such an ecosystem…We’re not even DEI, unless you want to say there are too many Black people or too many Hispanic people coming to the event…We just can’t figure it out.”

Other prominent contractors, including Booz Allen Hamilton and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, have also pulled out of the event at the last minute. The U.S. Military has been struggling with a recruitment crisis for several years, partly due to the increasing demand for STEM professionals and partly because recruitment standards are making it challenging for certain individuals to join.

The Army, in particular, has made significant strides in increasing its recruiting numbers, including meeting its goal in 2024 and reaching a good pace in 2025. According to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the Army’s improved recruitment numbers can be attributed to President Donald Trump’s election, but there is no evidence to suggest that concerns about the Army being “woke” are a significant factor in their recruitment crisis.

Experts weigh in on the true reason for the surge in Army recruits, pointing to various factors, including the impact of two decades of foreign conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, increased divisions between military and civilian families, and stringent recruitment standards. Prohibitions on tattoos, hairstyles, and the use of certain medications also contributed to the decline in recruitment numbers.

A key strategy implemented by the Army was the introduction of the Future Soldier Prep Course, a 90-day intensive training program that prepares recruits physically and academically to join the military. This program has shown promising results, with the Army hitting its 2024 goal in September and approximately a quarter of its candidates having completed the course.

Another factor contributing to the surge in Army recruits was the increase in female enlistments, which surpassed 2024’s numbers, with over 10,000 women joining the Army. Women tend to perform better on entrance exams, have fewer criminal records, and are generally more physically fit, making it easier for them to join.