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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the creation of a task force to oversee the strengthening of the US military based entirely on merit.
In a memorandum sent to leaders across the US military, entitled “Restoring America’s Fighting Force”, he outlined that the foundational tenet of the US Department of Defense must always be that the most qualified individuals are placed in positions of responsibility in accordance with merit-based, colour-blind policies.
“The Department of Defense has an obligation to the American public to ensure their sons and daughters serve under the best leadership we can provide them,” Hegseth said.
“Doing so is a national security imperative. A foundational tenet of the DoD must always be that the most qualified individuals are placed in positions of responsibility in accordance with merit-based, colour-blind policies."
The “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” Task Force, the secretary said, will be established by the undersecretary of defence for personnel and readiness and is charged with overseeing department efforts to eliminate organisations, offices and policies that perpetrate non-merit factors such as sex, race or ethnicity over factors such as lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards or readiness.
“The DoD mission is to win the nation’s wars. To do this, we must have a lethal fighting force that rewards individual initiative, excellence and hard work based on merit. In the executive order of January 27, 2025 (Restoring America’s Fighting Force), the President and Commander in Chief prohibited any preference or disadvantage for an individual or a group within the Armed Forces on the basis of sex, race or ethnicity,” Hegseth said in the memorandum.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, as defined in the January 27, 2025, executive order, are incompatible with the values of DoD. The DoD will strive to provide merit-based, colour-blind, equal opportunities to service members but will not guarantee or strive for equal outcomes.”
As part of its mission, the task force will oversee the standing down of DEI offices across the department and military services along with the cessation of actions initiated by those offices which promote, among other things, ideologies related to systemic racism or gender fluidity.
The secretary has set a 1 March deadline for an initial report from the task force regarding its activities and 1 June as the deadline for a final report.
The memorandum sets out the following principles:
