President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had signed four executive orders aimed at reshaping the United States military’s policies and operations.
The orders includes banning transgender service members from serving in the US armed forces, gutting the military’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, and reinstating back pay service members who were discharged for refusing to get vaccinated from Covid-19,
Trump also signed an executive order to establish a process to develop an American Iron Dome — a missile defense shield for the homeland. (Iron Dome is the name often used for Israel’s system for intercepting rockets, which was developed with U.S. support.)
The president signed the four orders aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington from a stop in Florida.
One of the orders reinstates back pay for service members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and provides a pathway for them to rejoin the military.
Around 8,200 members were previously discharged for non-compliance, but the vaccine mandate was rescinded in January 2023. Since then, approximately 110 service members have returned to duty.
Another order directs the Pentagon to review policies regarding transgender service members.
While it does not immediately ban transgender people, it requires the Defense Department to assess their impact on military readiness within 30 days.
The order suggests that gender dysphoria and related medical needs are incompatible with the physical and mental demands of military service.
President Trump also signed an order eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the military.
The policy bans race- or sex-based preferences and directs a review of service academy curriculums to ensure DEI and “gender ideologies” are removed.
Trump emphasized the need to focus solely on merit and readiness, calling DEI policies “lawless” and “nonsense.”
The fourth order establishes a framework for developing an American missile defense shield, referred to as an “American Iron Dome,” to protect the homeland.
This system is inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome, a missile defense system developed with U.S. support.
The orders were signed aboard Air Force One as Trump returned to Washington from a Florida visit.
Speaking at a Republican retreat in Doral, Florida, he stated, “To ensure we have the most lethal fighting force in the world, we will get transgender ideology the hell out of our military. It’s going to be gone.”
“I ordered the end to all of the lawless diversity, equity and inclusion nonsense policies across the government and all across the private sector and the military,” Mr. Trump said at the House GOP retreat.
“We’re getting it out and we’ve gotten it out pretty much. We did that in one week, and it wasn’t that easy, but everybody wanted it.”
These actions are part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to reshape federal policies, including last week’s announcement to end DEI programs across the government.
The Office of Personnel Management has already placed federal DEI employees on leave in line with this directive.
KanyiDaily recalls that President Donald Trump previously signed an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, a right enshrined in the US Constitution and upheld by the Supreme Court for over 125 years.
