US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon is closing departments dealing with diversity, equality and inclusion policies. In his statement to cadets in Texas, he said that the department is abandoning quotas and placing an emphasis on combat training, Gazeta.ru reported, citing Izvestia.
Hegseth also said that there will no longer be “social experiments“ in the army, and the focus will be on training and combat readiness. According to him, personnel training will also be reviewed, and priority will be given to commanders focused on achieving victory.
In publications by the Associated Press and Reuters in recent months, the Pentagon's course towards limiting diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives has already been described after Hegseth took over the department. American media indicate that the Donald Trump administration has accelerated changes in this direction in other parts of the Defense Department.
At the moment, there is no separate official explanation published by the Pentagon on the practical consequences of closing these structures, nor details on how exactly their functions will be redirected. Publicly known so far is only Hegseth's position that the department should focus on combat effectiveness and personnel training.
Sources: Gazeta.ru, Izvestia, Associated Press, Reuters