NEW: Pete Hegseth Axes Identity Months As DoD Reform Continues

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the Pentagon will no longer be using DoD resources on celebrations of identity months, such as Black History Month, Women’s History Month and several others.

In a press release titled “Identity Months Dead at DoD,” Hegseth explained that the new directives will be aimed at cutting waste and improving the U.S. Military’s war-fighting ability. “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,” reads the guidance.

“Going forward, DoD Components and Military Departments will not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months, including National African American/Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month,” Hegseth continued. “Service members and civilians remain permitted to attend these events in an unofficial capacity outside of duty hours.”

The new defense secretary further encouraged employees and service members 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,” the memo concluded, adding that the new guidance will take effect immediately.

Keeping in line with President Trump’s executive order that effectively banned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the federal government, Hegseth has vowed to cut down on distractions from the military’s core mission. “The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at Dept. of Defense,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in an X post last week. “The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.”

Trump is hoping that Hegseth — who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan — can help to turn around the military’s recruiting crisis that has plagued the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force in recent years. In 2023, the U.S. military missed its recruiting goal by a staggering 41,000 recruits.

The crisis has largely been blamed on the Pentagon’s embrace of DEI initiatives under the Biden Administration. During  Biden’s first week in the White House, the military launched a sweeping investigation to investigate U.S. service members over ties to “extremist” ideologies or groups. In December 2021, the Pentagon released a 21-page report detailing its plans to root out “extremism” from its ranks.

The Biden DoD considered tattoos displaying the thin blue line flag, or even the American flag, to be signs of “extremism” or potential ties to “extremist groups” or ideologies. Hegseth himself was flagged as a potential “extremist” under the department’s guidelines.

“The overwhelming majority of the men and women of the Department of Defense serve this country with honor and integrity,’ former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in the report. ‘We owe the men and women of the Department of Defense an environment free of extremist activities, and we owe our country a military that reflects the founding values of our democracy.”

Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley also infamously raged against what he referred to as “white rage” in the weeks following the January 6 Capitol protests, while the DoD once released an infamous ad that portrayed a lesbian wedding. These focuses on identity politics, Hegseth has argued, played a key role in the recruiting crisis and have been promptly eliminated.

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