New Trump orders on transgender troops, COVID and more expected on Hegseth's first day
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was expected to sign a flurry of new executive orders focused on the military Monday, including to reinstate troops booted for refusing COVID-19 vaccines, assess transgender forces and further outline new rollbacks in diversity programs, just as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began his first day on the job.
The orders could further clarify initial directives Trump issued shortly after his inauguration last week, when he removed protections for transgender troops put in place by former President Joe Biden and banned DEI initiatives at federal agencies.
The new order on transgender troops does not put an immediate ban but directs the Pentagon to come up with a policy on their service in the armed forces based on military readiness, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
Hegseth told reporters as he arrived at the Pentagon that his first official day would be busy, with additional executive orders expected “on removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of COVID mandates, Iron Dome for America — this is happening quickly.
Trump promised during the campaign to build an Iron Dome like the advanced air defense system used by Israel.
It was not immediately clear what the additional order on DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — would be, but Trump's initial action ending those programs across the U.S. government already has had far-reaching consequences. Without clearer direction, agencies have been taking a broad approach at removing any content that seemed to run afoul of Trump's ban.
That temporarily included videos of the storied Tuskegee Airmen and World War II Women's Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, which were part of DEI training courses for the Air Force's basic military training. Videos on both the Tuskegee Airmen and WASPs were removed as the courses were taken down last week, causing an uproar.
WASPs were vital in ferrying warplanes for the military. The Tuskegee Airmen were the nation’s first Black military pilots, who served in a segregated WWII unit, and their all-Black 332nd Fighter Group had one of the lowest loss records of all the bomber escorts in the war.
On Sunday, the Air Force clarified that the DEI courses had been removed to be edited but that the Tuskegee Airmen and WASP content would continue to be taught.
“The revised training which focuses on the documented historic legacy and decorated valor with which these units and Airmen fought for our Nation in World War II and beyond will continue on 27 January,” the Air Force said in a statement.
Hegseth said in a post on X on Sunday that any move to cut the Tuskegee Airmen content was “immediately reversed.” But the swirl of confusion reflects an ongoing struggle as leaders across the Defense Department try to purge diversity mentions from their websites and training.
Hegseth didn't mention the issue as he walked into the building on Monday morning accompanied by Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But in other comments, Hegseth said that “military training will be focused on the readiness of what our troops in the field need to deter our enemies.”
Hegseth is also continuing to focus on the border, and told reporters gathered on the steps of the Pentagon that “whatever is needed at the border will be provided,” using active duty, National Guard and state-activated Guard troops.
Hegseth was approved by the Senate on Friday night in a tie vote that had to be broken by Vice President JD Vance.
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