In a major and unprecedented shakeup to the U.S. military’s leadership, U.S. President Donald Trump removed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Brown in late February, while announcing his intention to replace Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the head of the U.S. Navy. The personnel changes have been framed as part of an effort to eradicate “woke ideology” from the U.S. military. It is not a coincidence, then, that Brown is Black and Franchetti is the first woman ever to command a U.S. military service branch.
But the Trump administration’s attack on efforts to address historical injustices for minorities and women—known as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, initiatives—goes beyond purging people of color and high-ranking women officers from the chain of command. As part of this agenda, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also proposed a radical departure from the U.S. military’s approach over the past decade. Though a slow-moving institution that is far from progressive, the Defense Department has undertaken a series of reforms to be more representative of the country it serves. That has included things like adopting a plan to implement the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, updating its harassment policies and protecting its employees from discrimination.
Since taking over as defense secretary in late January, Hegseth has articulated his commitment to “restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.” Along those lines, he announced the creation of a Restoring America’s Fighting Force Task Force charged with “overseeing the Department’s efforts to abolish DEI offices and any vestiges of such offices that subvert meritocracy, perpetuate unconstitutional discrimination, and promote radical ideologies related to systemic racism and gender fluidity.” This task force and other envisaged reforms are all aimed at eradicating “wokeness” from the U.S. military and Defense Department.