Quick Hit:

The Trump administration is declaring near-total success in its aggressive efforts to dismantle the military’s embrace of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told President Donald Trump that “99.9%” of DEI initiatives are now gone from the Department of Defense. The administration has already implemented significant policy reversals, including a ban on openly transgender service members and the removal of ideologically driven DEI content from service academy libraries. While federal judges have temporarily blocked the transgender ban, the broader mission to remove what Hegseth calls "woke poison" from the ranks continues in full force.

Key Details:

• Hegseth claims 99.9% of DEI initiatives are eliminated from the military, with full eradication on the horizon.

• Trump’s executive orders include banning transgender individuals from serving openly and ordering the removal of DEI literature from military institutions.

• Federal judges have issued temporary injunctions against the transgender ban, citing alleged discrimination, but the administration remains undeterred.

Diving Deeper:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Thursday that the military has virtually eliminated all DEI programming, boasting a “99.9%” success rate. “I’m going to get that last point,” Hegseth assured President Trump, signaling the administration’s ongoing resolve to root out lingering leftist ideology embedded in military culture.

Under the leadership of the 47th President, the Pentagon has aggressively turned back the clock on years of progressive influence. In January, Trump signed an executive order banning transgender individuals from serving openly in the U.S. military. The administration framed the move as necessary to restore unit cohesion and focus on mission readiness rather than gender identity politics.

Despite the administration’s decisive action, progressive judges quickly moved to interfere. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes—appointed under the previous administration—blocked enforcement of the ban, calling it “soaked in animus” and accusing Trump of discrimination based on gender identity. Her ruling failed to acknowledge the broader constitutional questions about military readiness and command effectiveness in an increasingly politicized armed forces.

Meanwhile, Trump has also targeted ideological indoctrination at military academies. Although his DEI content ban for K–12 schools didn’t originally apply to military institutions, the Pentagon followed his directive by ordering the Naval Academy to purge nearly 400 books from its library in March. Titles from leftist activists like Ibram X. Kendi and Stacey Abrams were among those removed—texts that critics say promote racial grievance politics and Marxist undercurrents under the guise of education.

In January, Hegseth posted bluntly on X: “The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at @DeptofDefense. The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.” His words reflect the seriousness with which the Trump administration is dismantling what many conservatives view as a left-wing ideological infiltration into the military.

While activist judges and media elites may protest, the Trump administration’s war on DEI is resonating with millions of Americans who see national defense as no place for political experiments in race and gender theory. The administration’s rollback of these policies is not only a restoration of merit and discipline in the ranks but a clear signal that under President Trump, America’s armed forces will return to strength, focus, and readiness.