Trump signs several orders focused on reshaping US military

President Donald Trump has signed several decrees focused on the reshaping of the American army.

An order signed late Monday prohibits initiatives for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the army. It will remove the use of preferences based on breed or sex in the armed forces, the Ministry of Defense and the Department of Internal Security.

Another restores more than 8,000 soldiers who were released for refusing to obtain the COVVI-19 vaccine.

The White House added that a third executive decree will feel those responsible for the formulation of a policy on transgender troops. The action does not immediately prohibit transgender soldiers.

A fourth order requires a process to develop an “American iron dome” – similar to the that used by Israel in the Middle East; While the White House indicates that a proclamation has been signed to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz.

The decrees were signed by Trump aboard the Air Force One.

The abolition of Federal Government’s Dei programs was one of the promises of Trump’s central campaign – and the one he moved quickly to implemented when taking office last week.

Dei programs aim to promote participation in workplaces by people from environments.

Their donors deal with historical under-representation and discrimination against certain groups, including racial minorities, but criticisms say that such programs can themselves be discriminatory.

The Trump administration says that the abolition of these American army initiatives will help increase recruitment levels.

Defense officials previously declared that military services collectively lacked the recruitment targets of 41,000 people during the year 2023.

The US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, promised to eliminate similar initiatives on Monday, told journalists that “there are more decrees to come”.

The order entitled “Restore the combat force of America“Includes the prohibition of what the administration considers that the discriminatory race or the preferences based on sex by any branch of the army, the Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Internal Security.

In addition, any bureaucracy linked to the remaining dei will be eliminated from these departments., According to the document.

Within 90 days of the signing of the executive decree, the president said that the defense secretary will carry out “an internal examination which documents the measures taken in pursuit of DEI initiatives, including all cases of racial and sexual discrimination and activities designed to promote a breed- or sex-based preferences “.

We still do not know which specific programs will be affected by the order.

In a report of December 2020, the ministry council on diversity and inclusion recommended a certain number of steps, in particular the removal of “aptitude test barriers which have a negative impact on diversity” and incorporating the “Value of the culture of diversity and inclusion” in leadership and professionalism programs.

During the weekend, it was reported that the US Air Force examined equipment on the role of black and female pilots during the Second World War from its training programs as part of an effort to comply at Trump’s dei orders.

But on Sunday, military officials said that some programs will not be withdrawn from basic military training.

During the June campaign, Trump said that the army’s goal was “to win wars, not to be awake”.

Hegseth told journalists on Monday that soldiers’ work was “lethality and preparation and war fights”.

“Military training will focus on the preparation of what our troops on the ground need to dissuade our enemies,” he added.

The move is part of a larger effort and on the level of the government to withdraw the practices of the federal workforce.

Immediately after taking up his duties, Trump ordered that all the staff of the United States government working on DEI diets be on administrative leave with immediate paid.

The White House gave them until 5:00 p.m. (2200 GMT) the next day to be on leave before the offices and programs in question.

In an order, Trump said the programs were “dangerous, degrading and immoral”.

On Monday, the Veterans Department also said that it had placed nearly 60 employees on leave when it strives to implement Trump’s order last week to eliminate DEI of federal workplaces.

In a statement, the ministry said that employee salary – which only focused on Dei initiatives – were collectively paid around $ 8 million, an average of around $ 136,000 (£ 109,000) per year . An employee earned more than $ 220,000 per year.

Trump also signed an executive decree ordering soldiers to formulate policies concerning the inclusion of transgender troops and update the guidelines on the subject.

According to documents published by the White House, the president’s decree “Prioritize military excellence and preparation” said that “expressing it a false” gender identity “of an individual’s sex cannot meet the rigorous standards necessary for military service”.

An information sheet of the White House uses the term “trans-identification” rather than transgender.

It is not known how many transgender staff are used in the US military – although the previous estimates of researchers have put the figure between 9,000 and 15,000.

Within the framework of the order, the use of pronouns will be prohibited through the Ministry of Defense, and the order also indicates that men will be explicitly prohibited from using installations designated for women.

In 2021, the president of the time Joe Biden signed an order allowing transgender people to serve in the army And prevent discharges according to sex.

During most of Trump’s first mandate in the White House, transgender staff was forbidden to join or serve unless they receive an exemption.

The Trump administration said that members who are under transitional surgery are often incapable of the physical requirements of their work – potentially harming military preparation. The White House did not provide proof of this statement and the BBC contacted the Pentagon to comment.

Sparta, an organization which advocates on behalf of the transgender military personnel, criticized the order, claiming that the transgender troops served in combat areas and have “demonstrated their capacity” to operate in military units.

“While some transgender troops undergo surgery, recovery time and cost are minimal and are programmed so as not to have an impact on deployments or mission preparation,” said Sue Fulton, veteran of the ‘ Army and main advisor to Sparta.

“The preparation and physical capacities of transgender soldiers are not different from that of other members of the service,” added Fulton.

In 2017, the Palm Center – an independent research organization – estimated that the abolition of around 10,000 soldiers’ transgender troops could cost around $ 960 million.

The third order restored American military personnel who was released to refuse to accept COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic.

These members of the service will be reintegrated with a full salary and benefits and will receive their old rank.

In his inauguration speech, Trump said that these members of the service were “unjustly expelled”.

About 8,000 American soldiers were sent from the service for refusing vaccines between 2021 and 2023 – of which only 43 were reinstated before Trump returned to the White House.

A former high -ranking Pentagon official – who spoke under the cover of anonymity – told the BBC that their refusal to take vaccines is equivalent to a “good order” and a discipline “.

The manager called for the reintegration of the troops “concerning” and said that he feared that this could not create a precedent to be able to withdraw from other vaccines, such as those given to the military for yellow fever or smallpox.