Die, DEI: Trump Signs Executive Order Banning ‘Woke’ Program in Military

President also signs order barring transgender troops

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order that abolishes diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the military.

The “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” order, released late Monday night, states that such programs “undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness” and “violate Americans’ consciences by engaging in invidious race and sex discrimination.” It goes on to order the closing of “every DEI office within the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.”

The executive order comes just days after Trump ordered federal agencies to close their DEI offices and place DEI staff on paid leave pending layoffs. Trump’s newly confirmed defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has pledged to overhaul the military’s culture, dismantling DEI initiatives and removing “woke” service members, CNN reported.

Trump has called the DEI initiatives, which were instituted by former president Joe Biden, “illegal and immoral discrimination programs.” An expert panel of military veterans warned Congress in March 2023 that America is facing a “once in a generation military recruitment crisis” due to the Biden Pentagon’s prioritizing “wokeness” over military readiness.

In May, for example, the Biden administration faced backlash when its Department of Veterans Affairs launched race-based training programs and workshops that excluded white veterans.

Trump also signed an order barring transgender people from serving in the military. The president, who has repeatedly condemned “transgender lunacy” such as allowing biological men to participate in women’s sports, barred transgender troops during his first term, a policy that Biden reversed in 2021. Trump’s gender-related order, titled, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” states that “radical gender ideology” has undermined “the requirements of military service like physical and mental health, selflessness, and unit cohesion.”

“Consistent with the military mission and longstanding DoD policy, expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” the order states.

Hegseth, who secured Senate confirmation on Friday, has outlined his priorities in a message to the military, vowing to deter the Chinese Communist Party and end wars around the world. “All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness,” Hegseth said.