West Point, Naval Academy may be next battleground for affirmative action fight: 'Unfair and unconstitutional'

The same student activist group that won its affirmative action case against Harvard and the University of North Carolina has signaled that it may sue some of the biggest military academies in the country for racial discrimination. 

After Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) won a major victory Supreme Court victory in late June, the organization has announced it has a new target: elite military academies. 

"It is the hope of Students for Fair Admissions that the service academies will soon end the use of racial classifications and preferences in their admissions policies. Failure to do so, may result in polarizing litigation," the group wrote in a statement. 

SUPREME COURT REJECTS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN RULING ON UNIVERSITIES USING RACE IN ADMISSIONS DECISIONS

"Were you rejected from West Point? Or the Naval Academy or the Air Force Academy? It may be because you’re the wrong race," the organization writes on its website, WestPointNotFair.org. 

The group also claimed that West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy all use "an applicant’s race and ethnicity as a factor in admissions. That’s unfair and unconstitutional." 

The U.S. government argued in its June brief that diversity in the military was necessary because of national security concerns, according to the New York Times.

"The nation’s military leaders, for example, have learned through hard experience that the effectiveness of our military depends on a diverse officer corps that is ready to lead an increasingly diverse fighting force," the government said.

The Washington Post agreed that diversity is the strength of the military in an article from Thursday.

"For the academies, which educate and train future military officers, racial diversity is a crucial matter. Military leaders want to ensure, as much as possible, that officers reflect the diversity of the nation and enlisted forces."

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SFFA acknowledged that differences in race and heritage are "respected" but should not be a factor in "admissions policies."

"As many retired military leaders have observed, the culture of the armed services requires that each warfighter see fellow warfighters as totally committed teammates, where race, ethnicity and heritage, while respected, do not matter."

A Naval Academy Public Affairs spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement that race was a "non-determinative" factor in admissions. 

"[A]ll candidates are evaluated using a holistic approach that includes many different factors and considerations associated with each applicant’s individual record. Historically, race has been one of many non-determinative factors (such as geographic and socio-educational backgrounds, work experience, STEM interest/propensity, etc.) considered when holistically evaluating candidates for appointment consideration."

A defense official also responded to the news in a statement. 

"The Department is evaluating the implications of the Court’s decision. We rely on a pipeline of highly qualified American patriots from all walks of life and all backgrounds, which is crucial for our national security. Secretary Austin and the DoD remain deeply committed to developing a strong, highly qualified officer corps that is ready to lead a 21st-century military that draws on the full strength of the American people. Our service academies will keep working to educate the next generation of military leaders so that they can lead our increasingly diverse Joint Force."

West Point and the Air Force Academy did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

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