President Trump on Monday evening signed executive orders involving transgender service members, COVID-19 vaccine status and DEI in the military.
The series of orders reflect policy promises President Trump campaigned on — with action being taken on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's first day at the Pentagon.
"Today, there are more executive orders coming that we fully support on removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of COVID mandates, iron dome for America. This is happening quickly and as the secretary of defense, it's an honor to salute smartly as I did as a junior officer and now as the secretary of defense to ensure these orders are complied with rapidly and quickly," Hegseth said early on Monday.
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Trump's orders directed the Department of Defense to reinstate service members who were discharged over refusing the COVID-19 vaccine if they so choose. They would be entitled to their former rank and back pay.
The administration alleges the dismissals had a "chilling" effect on recruitment, noting 8,000 troops were discharged from 2021 to 2023 according to a White House fact sheet provided to Scripps News.
"Government redress of these wrongful dismissals is overdue," it states.
Trump also signed an order ending DEI within the Department of Defense and Homeland Security. The order will stop the use of "discriminatory race- or sex based preferences," will task the agency with reviewing "race or sex based discrimination based on Department of Defense DEI initiatives" as well as reviewing curriculum at service academies to ensure DEI and gender ideologies are not included.
The administration blames recruitment challenges on the Obama and Biden administrations, writing in a fact sheet "… these two administrations exploited the military in favor of identity politics—harming our national defense, undermining the non-political nature of our military, and eroding morale and recruitment."
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Trump also signed order directing the Department of Defense to update its guidance on transgender service members and military readiness.
The order revokes a previous executive order by the Biden administration that ensured transgender individuals who met standards were able to serve and directed policy for service members who transition while serving.
Trump's order directs the Department of Defense to update medical standards, end the use of pronouns and prohibit males from using female-designated areas.
"The Department of Defense will fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the President, ensuring that they are carried out with utmost professionalism, efficiency, and in alignment with national security objectives," a defense official stated.
President Trump also signed an order to begin developing a missile defense system for the U.S. similar to the Iron Dome network used in Israel.
