President Donald Trump signed four new executive orders on Jan. 27, in a move to revamp U.S. missile defenses and overhaul U.S. military manpower policies.
Trump cast his missile defense executive order as an effort to create an “Iron Dome” for America, appearing to take inspiration from Israel’s air defense system of the same name.
The missile defense order specifically calls for the accelerated development of space-based capabilities for detecting and intercepting missile launches, including hypersonic missiles. The order also calls for capabilities to defeat threats before they can launch, as well as so-called “non-kinetic” missile defense capabilities.
Another of Trump’s orders calls for the reversal of policies that have allowed transgender individuals to serve within the military.
During his first term in office, Trump sought to limit the circumstances under which transgender individuals could serve. President Joe Biden quickly reversed those policies after taking office in 2021.
Now back in the White House, Trump’s order undoes Biden-era policies that expressly permitted transgender troops.
Citing concerns that individuals who undergo gender transition surgeries require lengthy recovery times, Trump’s order calls for the Department of Defense to review medical standards regarding the readiness and deployability of its forces.
The order addressing transgender military service also requires biological males and females to use the sleeping, changing, and bathroom facilities that correspond to their biological sex. Furthermore, the order calls for the Department of Defense to “end the use of invented and identification-based pronouns.”
Another order Trump signed calls for an end to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices that entail “discriminatory race or sex-based preferences by any element of the armed forces, the Department of Defense, or the Department of Homeland Security.”
Trump’s DEI order will require newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to review allegations of discrimination stemming from past DEI programs and practices within the military.
Under the DEI order, Hegseth and newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will also review the curricula of U.S. military service academies and other academic institutions within their purview, to ensure DEI programs and practices are discontinued.
The president also signed an order to reinstate troops who were forced out of the military for resisting a Biden-era mandate to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The order calls for troops to be reinstated to their former rank, and with full back pay and benefits.
Addressing reporters as he arrived at the Pentagon on Jan. 27, Hegseth said he’s working to ensure that the Department of Defense fulfills Trump’s executive orders “swiftly and without excuse.”
—Ryan Morgan
BOOKMARKS
The Texas National Guard has deployed 400 members to the U.S.–Mexico border to assist Border Patrol with its immigration control efforts. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the deployment in a Jan. 27 statement, saying “Texas has a partner in the White House we can work with.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) has introduced a resolution condemning President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon those involved in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol who either pleaded guilty to, or were convicted of, assaulting police officers. Vice President JD Vance defended Trump’s decision in a Jan. 26 interview, saying: “There was a massive denial of due process of liberty, and a lot of people were denied their constitutional rights.”
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has announced the arrest of dozens of illegal immigrants in Colorado, some of whom are connected to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. The arrests, made with no injuries or shots fired, stemmed from an early morning raid at a nightclub just outside Denver.
The Department of Justice has fired members of former special counsel Jack Smith’s team, following his attempt to prosecute Donald Trump on charges of election interference and mishandling of classified documents. “In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the president’s agenda,” a DOJ spokesman said.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has been forced to drop restrictions he placed on several individuals shown clemency by Donald Trump in relation to the Jan. 6 breach. Mehta had attempted to bar Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and eight others from entering Washington, but relented after U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. filed a motion clarifying that the defendants were “no longer subject to the terms of supervised release and probation.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects egg prices to rise sharply this year, fueled by a recent outbreak of avian flu. The virus has caused farmers to slaughter more than 100 million chickens in an effort to prevent the disease from spreading further, resulting in a shortage.
—Stacy Robinson
