President Donald Trump will soon sign several executive orders that end diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the military, as well as enable the return to duty of thousands of troops who were discharged after refusing to take COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
The announcement was made Monday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Mr. Hegseth, a former Fox News journalist and war veteran, was approved by the Senate with a narrow majority, marking a major victory for President Trump, after fierce opposition from Democrats and some Republicans to his candidacy.
"More executive orders will be approved," Mr. Hegseth told reporters today at the Pentagon, on his first full day in the job.
Mr. Hegseth has promised to bring major changes to the Pentagon. One of his priorities was to eliminate programs on diversity, equity and inclusion in the military.
Mr. Hegseth was greeted at the entrance to the building (the Pentagon) by the highest-ranking military officer, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown, whom the Secretary of Defense has criticized in one of his recent books.
Asked if he would remove Mr. Brown from office, Mr. Hegseth jokingly replied that he was standing by him.
"I'm standing by him right now and I can't wait to work with him," he said, placing his hand on Mr. Brown's shoulder.
The Reuters news agency has previously reported on the possibility of mass dismissals of senior officers or leaders in the military, something that Mr. Hegseth repeatedly refused to rule out during his confirmation process in Congress.
Mr. Hegseth's appointment created division in the Senate, as the top position in the Pentagon has historically been entrusted to candidates with deep experience in leading large organizations, and who enjoy broad bipartisan support./ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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