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Trump Administration Halts Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month, Other Diversity Celebrations, To Ban Race, Sex Consideration From Military Promotions

The Trump administration, through the Defense Department’s intelligence agency has paused observances of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance and other cultural or historical annual events in response to President Donald Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal workplace.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced plans for a new department task force focused on promoting “merit-based, color-blind policies” throughout the department, including potential changes to military promotions and job assignments.

The move is the latest in a series aimed at rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in federal agencies. Administration officials have blamed those outreach efforts for hurting military readiness and recruiting, although defense leaders in the past have disputed those assertions.

The instructions on banning the diversity celebrations were published Tuesday in a Defense Intelligence Agency memo obtained by The Associated Press and affect 11 annual events, including Black History Month, which begins Saturday, and National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The memo’s authenticity was confirmed by a U.S. official who said the pause was initiated by the DIA and appears not to be policy across the Defense Department. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

“We are receiving questions across the workforce on the way forward,” the memo said. “DIA will pause all activities and events related to Agency Special Emphasis Programs effective immediately and until further notice.”

It also noted a pause on “special observances” hosted throughout the year. While Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth were included, the memo said the change would not affect those national holidays.

The contents of the memo were first reported by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein and posted to X.

Federal agencies have struggled to interpret Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order ending DEI programs across the government and have taken a broad approach due to lack of clearer guidance from the White House on how to comply.

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed staff to create a DEI task force to ensure no DEI programs remain in the Pentagon.

“We’re not joking around,” Hegseth said in an interview Wednesday with Fox News. “There’s no changing of names or softly manipulating something. DEI is gone.”

In response to a query from the AP about the memo, the DIA said late Wednesday it “is working with the Department of Defense to fully implement all executive orders and administration guidance in a timely manner. As we receive additional guidance, we will continue to update our internal guidance.”

The other annual events listed in the DIA memo are Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, National American Indian Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Women’s Equality Day and Women’s History Month.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked at a briefing Tuesday whether Black History Month would cease to be celebrated.

“As far as I know, this White House certainly still intends to celebrate, and we will continue to celebrate American history and the contributions that all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed, have made to our great country,” she said.

The changes in holiday observances in some ways resemble the Air Force’s quick elimination of DEI coursework in its basic military training, which temporarily resulted in the service removing videos on the Tuskegee Airmen and World War II female pilots that had been in those courses. After a brief uproar, the Air Force said the history of both groups would continue to be taught.

In a memo announcing the new “restoring America’s fighting force task force,” Hegseth wrote that the Defense Department’s core mission is to “win the nation’s wars,” a goal that requires “a lethal fighting force that rewards individual initiative, excellence and hard work based on merit.”

The new group, to be housed under the Pentagon’s personnel and readiness office, is charged with presenting a final report on how to strengthen those goals by June 1.

That work will include changes to the promotion and job selection process, with a mandate that “the department will not consider sex, race or ethnicity when considering individuals for promotion, command or special duty.” Exceptions can be made for assignments with specific operational requirements.

Hegseth also said officials will ban quotas and goals for career fields, and prohibit instruction of gender ideology and DEI initiatives. And all defense academic institutions, including service academies, will be ordered to “teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history.”

The task force is an extension of President Donald Trump’s previous orders to eliminate diversity and inclusion programs across a range of federal departments. In his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Hegseth said Trump charged him with ensuring the military is “laser focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness.”

But those comments have drawn questions and criticism from advocates who say diversity is critical to military readiness. Advocates have already sued to stop Trump’s executive order mandating changes in the ability of transgender individuals to serve in the ranks, something which Trump has argued hurts morale and readiness.

In past books and media appearances, Hegseth has criticized decisions to allow women to serve in combat roles and overturning the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. During his confirmation hearing, he suggested that standards for many military jobs have been lowered to meet diversity quotas, another allegation that past defense officials have denied.

Hegseth’s new task force order also includes instructions to monitor work to eliminate all diversity and inclusion programs from the department by March 1.

Trump has yet to announce his pick to lead the Pentagon’s personnel office. His pick to lead the Army, Daniel Driscoll, is set to have his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday and is likely to face questions from lawmakers about the new task force.

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