The removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies from the federal government under President Trump’s directive is well underway, but not without resistance. In some cases, agencies and departments appear to be dragging their feet—or even engaging in what some would call malicious compliance.
The latest example comes from the Pentagon, where certain pages highlighting American military heroes briefly disappeared from the Department of Defense’s online platforms. The missing content is now being restored, but questions remain about how and why it was removed in the first place.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to eliminating DEI from the Defense Department, calling it “Discriminatory Equity Ideology” and “a form of Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military.”
He emphasized that DEI weakens unit cohesion and distracts from the military’s core mission. Ullyot also assured that the Pentagon is closely monitoring compliance with the directive, noting that if content is mistakenly or improperly removed, it will be corrected.
‼️The Pentagon is republishing the following content online after it was removed (either deliberately or by mistake):
— The Tuskegee Airmen
— The Enola Gay
— Navajo Code Talkers
— WASPs
— History -making female fighter pilots
— Jackie Robinson
— The Marines at Iwo Jima
— A…— Kristina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) March 19, 2025
As of now, pages dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen, the Navajo Code Talkers, and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) are back online, but the Defense Department has yet to provide details on whether their removal was intentional or accidental. The official statement avoids any direct admission, merely acknowledging that rare cases of content removal outside the directive may occur.
This situation brings to mind an old military saying, often credited to the E-4 Mafia—a term used to describe the unofficial, tight-knit network of experienced junior enlisted personnel across all service branches. The saying goes that if troops want to get rid of an ineffective officer or NCO, they simply follow orders to the letter—without the usual common-sense adjustments that keep things running smoothly. Bureaucracies, too, are known for this type of passive resistance.
While there’s no concrete evidence of deliberate sabotage, it’s not difficult to imagine that some career bureaucrats within the Pentagon are looking for ways to slow-roll the president’s agenda. Given DEI’s deep entrenchment in the federal system, it wouldn’t be surprising if certain individuals sought to exploit the policy shift as a way to create controversy.
If the system works as it should, those engaged in undermining policy will be identified and dealt with appropriately. The president has been clear—DEI has no place in the military, and the administration will ensure that its removal is properly implemented. In the meantime, the Pentagon is restoring the missing historical content, demonstrating that the directive to dismantle DEI does not mean erasing legitimate history.
