Pentagon’s liberal agenda already is taking a massive beating

Left-wing initiatives and programs that were once a crown jewel of the Biden Pentagon are rapidly being thrown overboard as the Trump administration moves to aggressively revamp America’s defense capabilities.

In the span of a few weeks, President Joe Biden’s push for Pentagon-subsidized sex-change surgeries was effectively rendered dead while deeply embedded diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have begun to be systematically rooted out. The new administration also reversed military discharges for service members who objected to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Trump’s commitment to breathing new life into the Pentagon comes as the armed forces grapple with recruiting challenges and low morale.

“The United States military has a clear mission: to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force,” the White House said in a Jan. 27 statement announcing an executive order on “restoring” the military. “Success in this existential mission requires a singular focus on developing the requisite warrior ethos, and the pursuit of military excellence cannot be diluted to accommodate political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion.”

On Feb. 7, Hegseth halted all sex change operations for service members, directing senior Pentagon officials to enforce compliance with Trump’s executive order forbidding personnel with a “‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex.”

There are an estimated 15,100 transgender individuals currently serving in the U.S. armed forces, constituting less than 1% of the over 3 million total force personnel, according to Department of Defense (DOD) statistics.

Additionally, Hegseth cancelled the celebration of all “identity months” at the DOD on Feb. 1., including pride month, black history month and Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month among many others.

“Installations, units, and offices are encouraged to celebrate the valor and success of military heroes of all races, genders, and backgrounds as we restore our warrior culture and ethos,” the statement read. “We are proud of our warriors and their history, but we will focus on the character of their service instead of their immutable characteristics.”

DEI initiatives are a prime target of Trump’s administration, with his team immediately beginning to dismantle upon assuming office.

Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office banning all “radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing” across the entire federal government. Trump also singled out the DOD in another order on Jan. 27, directing Hegseth to abolish all DEI-related offices, references to terms such as “gender identity” and eliminating all “preference based on race or sex.”

Trump has also started cleaning out the DOD’s top ranks, specifically officials who supported left-wing policies pushed by the Biden administration.

On Monday, Trump fired the boards of visitors of the U.S. military academies to uproot “leftist ideologues” in leadership. One fired member of the West Point Military Academy board of visitors, Retired Lt. Gen. Nadja West, gave a speech at Mount St. Mary’s University in 2021 on how diversity leads to a “harmonious community.”

Yet, some top officers who’ve previously espoused left-wing ideals have managed to avoid the chopping block, with Air Force Gen. Charles Q brown and Army Gen. Ronald Clark serving as notable examples.

Brown appeared to use race-based practices in hiring and promotions, oftentimes showing favorability towards minority and female applicants. Clark, a top general in the U.S. Army, stated that diversity was a “goal” of the army while also praising renaming military bases that use confederate names as a “huge step forward.”

Critics blame the Biden administration’s DEI practices along with other left-wing initiatives for exacerbating the slump in recruitment numbers plaguing the Armed Services since the 1970s, pushing people away from the service that might have otherwise served.

For example, the U.S. army has consistently fallen under its recruitment targets for reserve and regular personnel since 2021, according to U.S. Army Recruiting Command data. The DOD said in October that they continue to struggle with a “challenging and disinterested recruiting market,” despite reporting a slight recovery in December.

The COVID-19 vaccination requirements in the DOD also pushed service members out as some refused to comply with the order.

The Biden administration discharged over 8,000 service members for refusing the vaccination, and only 43 returned to service after the vaccine mandate was lifted in 2023. Trump offered them reinstatement with rank to all of those affected in addition to full backpay for their missing service time and benefits.

“In spite of the scientific evidence, the Biden Administration discharged healthy service members—many of whom had natural immunity and dedicated their entire lives to serving our country—for refusing the COVID vaccine,” the White House said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Government redress of these wrongful dismissals is overdue.”

Hegseth also changed Fort Liberty’s name back to Fort Bragg, with the Biden administration previously striking confederate names from military bases in 2022.

Originally, the fort was named after the confederate general Braxton Bragg, but is now named after WWII hero Ronald Bragg due to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 forbidding confederate namesakes for military bases.

“Unlike the current administration, politics should play no part in military matters. We are not Republicans or Democrats—we are American warriors,” Hegseth said to open his confirmation hearing in January.

A DOD spokesperson told the DCNF that the department would fully execute all of the directives outlined in Trump’s executive orders.

This story originally was published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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