Trump to scrap DEI from military, says defense secretary

Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, says President Donald Trump will soon sign an executive order removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from the military.

Hegseth spoke to reporters as he arrived at the Pentagon on Monday to officially assume office.

DEI programmes aim to promote participation in workplaces by people from diverse backgrounds.

One of Trump’s key campaign promises was to remove DEI programmes from within the federal government.

“There are more executive orders coming,” Hegseth said.

The defense secretary said the military’s job is “lethality and readiness and war fighting”.

“Military training will be focused on the readiness of what our troops in the field need to deter our enemies,” he added.

The move is the first fulfillment of the president’s promise to remove DEI practices from the federal workforce.

Immediately after taking office, Trump ordered that all US government staff working on DEI schemes were to be put on immediate paid administrative leave.

Trump said the programmes were “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral”.

The president is also expected to sign a second executive order directing the military to formulate policies regarding the inclusion of transgender troops.

It is unclear how many transgender personnel are serving in the US military.

Hegseth added that Trump will sign an order recalling thousands of troops who were headed out for refusing COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.

Trump had said they were “unjustly expelled” in his inauguration speech.

Reinstated service members will be compensated with full back pay and benefits and receive their former rank.