PRESIDENT TRUMP ELIMINATES MILITARY DEI INITIATIVES THROUGH EXECUTIVE ORDER

You can trace back modern efforts of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives back to Executive Order 10925, passed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and then again expanded upon due to Executive Order 11246, when President Lyndon Johnson issued it in 1965. At their core, DEI initiatives are simply aiming to make sure people aren’t discriminated against but for some, this can be a complex approach hindering operations. President Donald Trump has been busy in his first week, in part, getting rid of DEI initiatives for the federal government and military.

What are DEI Initiatives?

DEI initiatives look different for everywhere but are simply programs put in by organizations to help eliminate discrimination through promoting diversity, equal opportunities, and inclusion.

This includes training programs that provide education and information on how to implement such policies, improving hiring practices towards marginalized communities, and making workplaces fair for everyone.

Are DEI Initiatives Effective?

Whether or not DEI initiatives work continues to be a subject of heated debate:

• Some believe that DEI programs are good at what they do, by providing otherwise marginalized groups with equal opportunities.

• Furthermore, proponents point to the way that diversity strengthens talent pools.

• However, opponents of DEI often argue that they are programs that don’t work while themselves marginalizing other groups by design.

• Additionally, opponents focus on the amount of funding DEI initiatives take away from the core goals of organizations.

Military Usage

The use of DEI efforts in the military aims to help those who are minorities, including women, people of color, and those within the LGBTQ+ community, have equality in all aspects of their service.

These initiatives increased during the Biden administration, which is due to policy changes and an increase in investment.

For example, then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper would implement a new form of military education thanks to higher investments and requests of funds, which showcased “implicit bias” while also putting into place a system of agencies dedicated to DEI:

• Fiscal Year 2022: $68 million

• Fiscal Year 2023: $86.5 million

• Fiscal Year 2024: $114.7 million

Implementing DEI initiatives have become commonplace throughout the leadership curricula of military branches and academies, including ROTC, using critical race theory (CRT), systemic racism, white privilege, and internal bias as subjects.

President Trump Eliminates DEI Initiatives for the Federal Government

Executive Order 13985, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government” was issued by President Biden to further implement DEI initiatives for the federal government and despite such efforts being decades old, Trump’s administration isn’t a fan.

President Donald Trump wasted no time on his first day as President a second time to issue “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” which would effectively disintegrate these programs from the federal government.

Part of the EO states that, "The previous administration has embedded deeply unpopular, inflationary, illegal, and radical practices within every agency and office of the Federal Government.

By doing so, more than 50 directives under Biden were dismantled, aiming to improve racial equality, climate policies, protection for troops serving within the LGBTQ+ community, and more.

As the week continued, federal employees involved with DEI were put on paid leave, effective January 22, 2025.

Military bases were told that they would be able to restore their original names after many were changed due to their connection with the Confederacy.

It should be noted that such changes could be much more than simply changing a few names back to their original form. The military has seen widespread changes to the names of buildings, roads, etc., as a part of these efforts, which could all be reversed.

Going back on the DEI initiative from the Naming Commission, could cost millions of dollars to do so.

Many continue to look to the end of DEI initiatives as problematic for marginalized military personnel but for supporters of Trump, the move will help put funding back into national defense rather than educational programs.

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