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Hegseth: ‘Diversity Is Not A Strength’ In U.S. Military

Charlie Kirk Staff

01/30/2025

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Hegseth: ‘Diversity Is Not A Strength’ In U.S. Military

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth struck down the well-worn phrase invented by Democrats that “diversity is our strength” as it applies to the U.S. military.

In an interview with former Fox News colleague Jesse Watters, Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed to his post earlier this week, said that instead of focusing on “diversity,” the military under President Donald Trump will focus more on what unifies members and contributes to the overall effectiveness and lethality of the entire force.

“What’s happening with DEI? How’s that going at the Defense Department?” Watters asked to kick off a Wednesday night segment.

“Well, DEI is not going well at the Defense Department because it’s dead,” Hegseth began.

“As the president said in his inaugural, we will be merit-based and colorblind, and that is the case at the Defense Department. DEI is going to be ripped out root and branch because we want everyone treated equally, with high standards, and held accountable with warfighting, lethality, and readiness, front, and center. We don’t have time for emphasizing differences,” he added.

“One of the dumbest phrases in military history is, ‘Our diversity is our strength.’ Our diversity is not our strength. Our unity and our shared purpose is our strength, and the Pentagon is excited to get back to that core mission,” Hegseth continued.

“It’s happening rapidly, the services are responding, and those that don’t want to respond can work somewhere else. So, diversity, equity, inclusion will not be a part of the Defense Department, not a minute long,” he said.

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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government.

Charlie is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show” podcast, which regularly ranks among the top-10 news shows on Apple podcast news charts, and is the host of the nationally syndicated daily radio show on the Salem Radio Network live from 12 - 3 PM ET.
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