Trump bans DEI policies and limits gender recognition in military
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the signing of four executive orders targeting the United States military.
These include a ban on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness) policies and a restriction on gender recognition in the military to only biological genders—male and female, according to the BBC.
During a press statement on a flight to his Florida residence, Trump explained that the DEI policy, an extension of "affirmative action," is deemed unsuitable for the military because it could hinder merit-based promotions.
Another order bans "false" statements about identifying as a gender other than one's biological sex, classifying such claims as violations of military regulations. Trump reiterated that the U.S. military will recognize only two sexes: male and female.
According to CNN, Trump also signed an order to reinstate military personnel dismissed for refusing COVID-19 vaccination, as well as an order to create an "American Iron Dome"—an advanced air defense system modeled after Israel's.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was given 60 days to implement the orders, officially assumed his position on January 25.
During his first term, Trump announced a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. He did not fully implement the ban—his administration halted their recruitment but allowed serving personnel to remain. Biden reversed the decision upon taking office in 2021.
The military has approximately 1.3 million active-duty personnel, according to the Department of Defense. While transgender rights advocates claim there are up to 15,000 transgender service members, officials estimate the number to be in the thousands.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
