Hegseth nixes 'identity month' celebrations at DOD on eve of Black History Month
WASHINGTON − Months dedicated to specific cultural or gender identities will no longer be recognized and celebrated at the Department of Defense, Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday, on the eve of Black History Month.
"Identity Months Dead at DoD," the memo read.
Other "cultural awareness months" getting the ax include Women's History Month in March, Pride Month in June, National Hispanic Heritage Month from mid-September to mid-October, and National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October.
Under the new guidance, components of the department and military are barred from using "official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events." Service members and civilian employees will still be able to observe these months or participate in related events on their own time.
"Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the Department's warfighting mission," according to the release. "Efforts to divide the force – to put one group ahead of another – erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution."
The move comes on the heels of President Donald Trump's escalated attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, including in the wake of a Washington-area plane crash that killed 67 people.
"We must have only the highest standards for people who work in our aviation system," Trump said in a news briefing Thursday, the morning after the collision. Pushed on why he was pointing to diversity initiatives as a possible factor in the tragedy, the president replied, "Because I have common sense."
Trump and other top officials have not provided any evidence to show that hiring practices or race, ethnicity, gender or ability were at fault in the crash between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.
Making good on a 2024 campaign promise, Trump also rolled back Biden-era diversity, equity and inclusion efforts almost immediately after taking office last month.
As defense secretary, Hegseth has echoed the president in words, saying at that news briefing last week that "the era of DEI is gone at the Defense Department," as well as in actions, with Friday's directive.
"We are proud of our warriors and their history," the recent memo read, "but we will focus on the character of their service instead of their immutable characteristics."