Executive Order 14185 seeks to eliminate what it characterizes as race-based and sex-based discrimination within the U.S. Armed Forces. The order frames Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs as having implemented race and sex preferences that supposedly "undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness." Positioning itself as a return to meritocracy, the order asserts that no individual or group within the Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged based on sex, race, ethnicity, color, or creed, claiming that existing DEI initiatives violate Americans' consciences through what it terms "invidious race and sex discrimination."
The order directs the immediate abolition of all DEI offices and related initiatives within the Department of Defense and the Coast Guard under the Department of Homeland Security. It explicitly prohibits the teaching or promotion of what it labels "un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories," which it defines to include "divisive concepts" (referencing the definitions in Trump's 2020 Executive Order 13950), any suggestion that America's founding documents are racist or sexist, and "gender ideology" (defined in a separate January 20, 2025 executive order). The order further mandates a comprehensive internal review to document all past DEI initiatives and alleged instances of race and sex discrimination, with a report required within 90 days.
Implementation responsibilities fall primarily to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security, who must issue detailed guidance within 30 days and submit progress reports within 180 days through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. The order specifically targets educational institutions operated by the military, requiring them to "teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history" and mandating a review of leadership, curriculum, and instructors at Service Academies to ensure alignment with the order. The executive order presents these changes as necessary to restore what it considers proper military function, though critics would likely view the measures as dismantling diversity initiatives designed to address historical inequities within the armed forces.