President Donald Trump is set to sign three executive orders that will significantly impact the US military. The first order will ban transgender troops from serving, while the second order will prohibit any 'discriminatory' policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the military. This move follows the Trump administration's decision to place federal DEI office employees on paid administrative leave.
The third executive order directs the newly appointed Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to reinstate all active and reserve service members who were previously discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. These reinstated service members will receive their former rank, back pay, and benefits.
Hegseth, who was sworn in as defense secretary on Saturday, has expressed intentions to implement significant cultural changes within the military. He plans to end DEI practices and remove what he refers to as 'woke' service members.
It is worth noting that the Pentagon had already rescinded the military's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, allowing discharged service members to rejoin following President Joe Biden's signing of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. Despite this, only a small fraction of the more than 8,000 discharged service members sought reinstatement eight months after the vaccine mandate was repealed.
