Hegseth moves to ban race, sex consideration from military promotions

Editor’s note: This is a developing story.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced plans for a new department task force focused on promoting “merit-based, color-blind policies” throughout the department, including potential changes to military promotions and job assignments.

The move is the latest in a series aimed at rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in federal agencies. Administration officials have blamed those outreach efforts for hurting military readiness and recruiting, although defense leaders in the past have disputed those assertions.

In a memo announcing the new “restoring America’s fighting force task force,” Hegseth wrote that the Defense Department’s core mission is to “win the nation’s wars,” a goal that requires “a lethal fighting force that rewards individual initiative, excellence and hard work based on merit.”

The new group, to be housed under the Pentagon’s personnel and readiness office, is charged with presenting a final report on how to strengthen those goals by June 1.

That work will include changes to the promotion and job selection process, with a mandate that “the department will not consider sex, race or ethnicity when considering individuals for promotion, command or special duty.” Exceptions can be made for assignments with specific operational requirements.

Hegseth also said officials will ban quotas and goals for career fields, and prohibit instruction of gender ideology and DEI initiatives. And all defense academic institutions, including service academies, will be ordered to “teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history.”

The task force is an extension of President Donald Trump’s previous orders to eliminate diversity and inclusion programs across a range of federal departments. In his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Hegseth said Trump charged him with ensuring the military is “laser focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness.”

But those comments have drawn questions and criticism from advocates who say diversity is critical to military readiness. Advocates have already sued to stop Trump’s executive order mandating changes in the ability of transgender individuals to serve in the ranks, something which Trump has argued hurts morale and readiness.

In past books and media appearances, Hegseth has criticized decisions to allow women to serve in combat roles and overturning the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. During his confirmation hearing, he suggested that standards for many military jobs have been lowered to meet diversity quotas, another allegation that past defense officials have denied.

Hegseth’s new task force order also includes instructions to monitor work to eliminate all diversity and inclusion programs from the department by March 1.

Trump has yet to announce his pick to lead the Pentagon’s personnel office. His pick to lead the Army, Daniel Driscoll, is set to have his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday and is likely to face questions from lawmakers about the new task force.