Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said his mission has been to uproot diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the military during his address to top brass in Quantico on Tuesday. Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones is taking issue with this comment, as noted in a statement released after Hegseth's address.
During his nearly hour-long speech, Hegseth announced plans to end what he calls "toxic ideological garbage" through a series of sweeping changes for the U.S. military, including updating physical readiness tests to be "gender neutral" or "male-level." Currently, men and women are held to different fitness tests standards in all branches of the military except the U.S. Army, which announced gender-neutral fitness test standards in June.
Watch full: 'We will be a fighting and winning machine, 'Trump addresses military leaders in Quantico
Hegseth went on to say that the U.S. military has promoted too many leaders for the wrong reasons based on race, gender quotas and “historic firsts.”
"No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusions, no more debris. As I've said before and will say again, we are done with that," Hegseth said.
The Defense Secretary's comments on DEI are under criticism from Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, who served in the Marines for six years and two tours of duty. He released the following statement in response to Hegseth's remarks:
“What makes our military the strongest force in the world is the unity and resilience of the men and women who serve. Diversity is not a weakness; it is a force multiplier. As someone who has led Marines on deployment, I know firsthand that our strength comes from our ability to come together as one team, regardless of background, race, or creed. The Secretary’s comments questioning DEI risk undermining the cohesion that has always been central to mission readiness.”
Further changes Hegseth discussed on Tuesday include loosening disciplinary rules and weakening hazing protections.
Removing DEI programs has been a key focus across the entire Trump administration.
Watch previous coverage: Schools in Hampton Roads forced to make decisions on DEI
For example, K-12 schools were ordered to end "discriminatory" DEI practices to qualify for federal funding. Trump's executive order specifically threatened Title I funding, which sends billions of dollars a year to America’s schools and targets low-income areas.
This sudden address to military leaders comes a couple days before Trump's reported plans to visit Naval Station Norfolk, according to the Washington Post, which cited an anonymous White House official.
The president will "discuss the country’s great Naval assets" during his visit, per the Washington Post's source, although further details on his trip are not yet available.
