On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders reshaping the makeup of the nation’s armed forces.
Of the four executive orders Trump reportedly signed during a flight to Washington, D.C., one reaches back to the end of his first term when COVID-19 began spreading globally. During the previous administration, the Pentagon issued a mandate requiring members of the armed services to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Ultimately, 8,200 service members were discharged for refusing to comply with the order. However, the mandate was revoked in 2023, and more than 100 service members have reportedly returned.
Trump also signed multiple executive orders regarding race, gender and sex in the military. More specifically, he signed an executive order eliminating the use of race-based and sex-based preferences in the armed forces. In addition, he reportedly signed an executive order directing the United States Department of Defense to develop a policy for transgender members of the armed service based on readiness within 30 days. The order does not ban transgender individuals from the military, but it does point out that the Defense Department’s policy on troop readiness is “inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria.“
“I ordered the end to all of the lawless diversity, equity, and inclusion nonsense policies across the government and all across the private sector and the military,” Trump reportedly said during a gathering of Republican officials in Florida. “We’re getting it out and we’ve gotten it out pretty much. We did that in one week, and it wasn’t that easy, but everybody wanted it.”
Rounding out the collection of executive orders signed during his flight from Florida to the District of Columbia, he also signed an executive order commissioning the construction of the American Iron Dome. The missile defense shield is named similarly to that of the Israel Defense Force (IDF).
