Jan 28, 2025 Story by: Publisher
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday, January 27 to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across the U.S. military.
The directive was one of several executive orders released by the White House, all aimed at restructuring the nation’s armed forces. Along with ending DEI initiatives, Trump ordered the Pentagon to review its policy on transgender service members and reinstate many personnel discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
In his order targeting DEI initiatives, Trump stated that such programs undermine merit and leadership while fostering discrimination based on race and sex. The directive also extends to the U.S. Coast Guard, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
“I am committed to meritocracy and to the elimination of race-based and sex-based discrimination within the Armed Forces of the United States. No individual or group within our Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, color, or creed,” Trump declared.
The executive order requires newly appointed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to provide a comprehensive report within 90 days, detailing all DEI programs and offices currently in place within the Department of Defense. Both the Defense and Homeland Security departments must submit an initial plan to meet the order’s objectives within 30 days and present a progress report within 180 days.
Defense officials have previously said that the military services collectively missed recruitment goals by 41,000 personnel in the 2023 fiscal year.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has promised to eliminate similar initiatives from the military, telling reporters on Monday that “there are more executive orders coming”.
The order also prohibits military personnel from being taught that “America’s founding documents are racist or sexist” or from being educated on gender ideology, which the administration defines as “an ever-shifting concept of self-assessed gender identity.”
“These institutions shall be required to teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history,” the executive order stated. This directive follows another executive order recently signed by the president, which eliminated DEI programs across the federal government and placed employees in those departments on paid leave. Source: NPR
