Hegseth orders ban on Defense Department identity month observances

Bringing about an end to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices within the federal government was a significant pillar of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, and key figures in his administration are wasting no time in fulfilling that objective.

As the Washington Times reports, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued new guidance on Friday for the Pentagon, declaring an end to official commemorations of “cultural awareness months” such as Black History and Women's History Months.

Sea change afoot

As the Times explains, the decision to end observances of identity-based months represents a significant cultural change at the Defense Department, where such occasions have long been part of the yearly calendar.

Hegseth, in keeping with Trump's emphasis on rooting DEI out of federal agencies, has held firm on the rationale for ending the celebratory customs within the military.

The guidance from Hegseth reads in part, “Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the department's warfighting mission. Efforts to divide the force -- to put one group ahead of another -- erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.”

It continues, “Installations, units, and offices are encouraged to celebrate the valor and success of military heroes of all races, genders, and backgrounds as we restore our warrior culture and ethos. We are proud of our warriors and their history, but we will focus on the character of their service instead of their immutable characteristics.”

As such, the Pentagon itself, military departments, and Defense Department detachments will be prohibited from using official resources to organize commemorations related to Black History Month, Women's History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, or National American Indian Heritage Month.

Putting reforms into action

Hegseth's efforts to eradicate DEI from the ranks of the military extend beyond restrictions on commemorative celebrations, as The Hill reports, with the secretary last week moving to eliminate race and sex-based criteria from military promotion processes.

The Defense secretary issued a memo titled, “Restoring America's Fighting Force” in which he declared the agency's mission as being “to win the Nation's wars,” a task that requires “a lethal fighting force that rewards individual initiative, excellence and hard work based on merit.”

To that end, Hegseth has ordered the implementation of reforms to the hiring and promotion processes to create an environment that “will not consider sex, race, or ethnicity when considering individuals for promotion, command, or special duty.”

Officials were also ordered to cease the use of sex, race, or ethnicity-related quotas for “organizational composition, admissions to defense academic institutions and career fields,” according to The Hill.

Hegseth's memo did, however, note that exceptions to the limitations could be made in the context of assignments that have “specific operational needs.”

Trump marks Black History Month

Though he has spearheaded the push to remove DEI across the federal government, Trump issued a proclamation on Friday marking the start of Black History Month “to celebrate the contributions of so many black American patriots who have indelibly shaped our Nation's history.”

Trump suggested that the commemoration has a particularly notable significance in 2025 and stated, “This National Black History Month, as America prepares to enter a historic Golden Age, I want to extend my tremendous gratitude to black Americans for all they have done to bring us to this moment, and for the many future contributions they will make as we advance into a future of limitless possibility under my Administration.”