Donald Trump will soon sign executive orders removing diversity, equity and inclusion from the military and reinstating thousands of troops who were kicked out for refusing Covid vaccines during the pandemic, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said on Monday.
Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and decorated veteran, narrowly secured enough votes to become the next defense secretary, a major victory for Trump after fierce opposition from Democrats and even some Republicans to his controversial nominee.
“There are more executive orders coming,” Hegseth told reporters, as he arrived at the Pentagon for his first full day of work.
Hegseth, who has promised to bring major changes to the Pentagon and has made eliminating DEI from the military a top priority, is now in a position to enact such a policy.
Hegseth floated the idea of ending efforts to support the advancement of women and people of color in the military in his 2024 book The War on Warriors, writing that generals who support DEI principles should be purged. “We need to clean house of woke generals,” writes Hegseth. “It’s upside down, and ripe for firings – without replacements.”
He has also stated as recently as November that he does not believe women are fit to serve in combat roles, saying on a 7 November episode of the Shawn Ryan Show: “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.”
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Hegseth appeared to walk back that idea, saying women should only serve in the military if standards “remain high” for such roles. Hegseth was confirmed narrowly on Friday, with JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
In a statement, the Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who cast one of three Republican votes against Hegseth’s confirmation, said that his past comments about women in the military informed her decision.
“I remain concerned about the message that confirming Mr Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join,” she said.
Trump’s early executive actions slashing DEI efforts resulted in immediate, broad efforts to cut such programming – including a temporary measure by the air force to remove educational materials about the first Black airmen in the US military, known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
The air force said on Sunday that it will resume use of the training materials, which have passed review to ensure compliance with Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Hegseth was warmly greeted on the steps of the Pentagon on Monday by the top US military officer, air force general CQ Brown, whom Hegseth criticized in his latest book. Asked if he might fire Brown, Hegseth joked that he was standing right next to him.
“I’m standing with him right now. I look forward to working with him,” as he patted Brown on the back.
