In what it has dubbed a "Digital Content Refresh," the Defense Department ordered the purging of all media from its websites and social media accounts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including content regarding critical race theory, gender ideology, and identity-based programs.

A memo issued Wednesday from Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's press secretary and assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, established a March 5 deadline to take "all practicable steps, consistent with records management requirements, to remove all DoD news and feature articles, photos, and videos that promote DEI. All articles, photos, and videos removed from DoD websites and social media platforms must be archived and retained in accordance with applicable records management policies."

The memo stated the Defense Media Activity, which comprises a number of military department media organizations, will assist the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service in removing the content, and provide technical support for websites hosted on the American Forces Public Information Management System.

The memo builds on a Jan. 27 executive order by President Donald Trump and a Jan. 29 memo by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that called for the armed forces to operate free from "any preference based on race or sex" and return to "merit-based, color-blind" policies.

"A blanket statement should be provided on social media platforms to acknowledge content was removed to align with the President's executive orders and DoD priorities," Parnell's memo stated. "A similar blanket statement on websites and other platforms may be necessary to aid user experience."

On Inauguration Day, Trump signed an executive order calling for the end of all "discriminatory" federal government programs, "including illegal DEI and 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities."

The Pentagon announced last week it will be slashing 5% to 8% of its workforce, with the layoff of approximately 5,400 probationary civilian employees "as part of this initial effort, after which we will implement a hiring freeze while we conduct a further analysis of our personnel needs, complying as always with all applicable laws."

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