Pentagon Orders DEI Content Purge, Flags 26,000+ Images for Removal

Following President Donald Trump's executive order terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout the federal government, the Pentagon has initiated the removal of thousands of photos and posts related to this issue.

 The Associated Press has obtained a database that indicates over 26,000 images have been identified for deletion. The total number of pictures flagged for deletion is potentially 100,000, spread across military websites and social media platforms.

The content that has been flagged includes historical references to the Enola Gay aircraft, the first women to complete Marine Corps infantry training, and a Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Confusion appears to cause specific removals, such as the mistaken flagging of images due to the presence of names such as "Gay" in the captions.

The order, issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, mandated that all military branches comply by Wednesday. If the content published during the Biden administration could not be reviewed in time, it would be temporarily removed. 

Certain images, including those of the Tuskegee Airmen and pioneering female pilots, are still accessible despite the deletion of numerous DEI-related posts.

The Marine Corps has verified that "every one of its images in the database either has been taken down or will be taken down." Still, logistical challenges persist, particularly for inactive social media pages. 

The Pentagon maintains that the directive intends to foster unity by eradicating programs perceived as favoring specific groups over others.

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