New Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth Vows to Remove DEI From DOD

Pete Hegseth, then-President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington on Jan. 14, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

New Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently confirmed that the Pentagon will be implementing a mandate to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies from his agency.

In a post on X over the weekend, Hegseth wrote: “The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at [the Department of Defense]. The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.”

The move comes as part of a push by President Donald Trump to remove DEI from branches of the federal government, arguing in orders that they are discriminatory and unfair. While the president had signed an order to remove DEI personnel across the federal government, various agencies and staff have received emails from their respective heads of department to root out any DEI divisions that had recently been renamed.

It’s also part of a broader trend among large companies and other organizations to roll back DEI policies in recent months. Late last week, retail giant Target became the latest major corporation to do so, announcing it had met its goals and would be ending certain initiatives.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Hegseth also said that orders from Trump will be coming on removing DEI from the Pentagon as well as reinstating troops who were pushed out “due to COVID mandates” several years ago, creating an “Iron Dome for America,” and more. During the pandemic, the Department of Defense (DOD) had issued mandates that forced troops to either receive the COVID-19 vaccine or be suspended, although the department had offered religious and medical exemptions.

“This is happening quickly,” he said, noting he will make sure that the Pentagon acts “rapidly” in implementing Trump’s orders when issued.

Offering his reasoning, Hegseth said, “Every moment that I’m here, I’m thinking about the guys and gals” at U.S. military bases and forward units across the world.

“The lawful orders of the president of the United States will be executed inside this Defense Department—swiftly and without excuse,” Hegseth said.

He made those remarks as he arrived at the Pentagon for his first day on the job, after the Senate confirmed him as defense secretary in a 51–50 vote.

On Jan. 24, Vice President JD Vance came to the Senate to help Hegseth get confirmed after a 50–50 stalemate in the upper chamber. Three Republican senators joined all Democrats in voting against Hegseth, a decorated U.S. Army veteran and Fox News host.

The three GOP senators who voted against him were Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

He was sworn in on Saturday by Vance, and in a message to the military stressed “restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and re-establishing deterrence.”

“We will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the president’s priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats,” he wrote.

President Joe Biden’s defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, was confirmed by a 93–2 vote in 2021, and Jim Mattis, Trump’s first defense secretary in his first administration, was confirmed 98–1 in 2017.

Reuters contributed to this report.