Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has delivered a powerful blow to the deeply entrenched diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda within the U.S. military, issuing a directive that forces military academies to eliminate race, ethnicity, and gender as factors in their admissions process.
In a hard-hitting memo released Friday, Hegseth emphasized that admissions to the Military Service Academies (MSAs) must now rely exclusively on merit. The move is being hailed by supporters as a long-overdue return to excellence, while critics label it a reversal of progress made under the Biden administration’s controversial DEI policies.
“The Department owes it to our nation, our Service Members, and our young Americans applying to the MSAs to ensure admissions… are based exclusively on merit,” wrote Hegseth, who shared the memo publicly via X (formerly Twitter).
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Merit Over Identity: Hegseth Shifts the Standard
The memo outlined a crystal-clear expectation: military academies must rank candidates based on objective, merit-based criteria. According to Hegseth, this shift will strengthen the officer corps, ensuring only the most capable future leaders rise through the ranks.
“Selecting anyone but the best erodes lethality, warfighting readiness, and the culture of excellence in our Armed Forces,” he wrote.
“A strong officer corps is essential to ensuring the United States military remains the most lethal the world has ever known.”
A Second Bombshell: Transgender Policy Reversal
In a second major announcement this week, Hegseth confirmed the Pentagon will begin discharging transgender service members in alignment with a reinstated Trump-era executive order — a policy greenlit by a recent Supreme Court ruling.
“We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind,” Hegseth said during a speech at Special Operations Forces Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
“No more pronouns. No more climate change obsession. No more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that.”
The Defense Department clarified that service members diagnosed with or showing signs of gender dysphoria will have until June 6, 2025, to voluntarily separate from active service, with potential eligibility for separation pay.
“Service by individuals with a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria is not in the best interest of the Military Services or national security,” reads the policy memo.
Critics Cry Foul While Hegseth Doubles Down
The announcement has sparked outrage among progressive groups, who accuse Hegseth of conducting a political purge aimed at undoing years of inclusion-driven military reform. However, many service members and veterans have welcomed the change, claiming it restores integrity to the military.
“We’re getting back to strength, discipline, and performance, not identity politics,” one retired general said.
“This is the military, not a social experiment.”
The Defense Secretary’s moves come amid a media-fueled “Signalgate” scandal that critics say is a targeted effort by Democrats to discredit his leadership and regain control of the Pentagon.
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Reclaiming Military Standards in a Divided America
The memo’s core principle is clear: America’s fighting forces must prioritize excellence, not identity. By scrapping admission quotas based on gender or race, Hegseth aims to rebuild public trust in the U.S. military’s readiness and send a message that politicized hiring ends now.
“We will no longer tolerate the erosion of standards under the illusion of fairness. Excellence is fairness. Standards matter.”
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