The Pentagon is set to remove thousands of images and online posts that violate diversity, equity, and inclusion rules, including references to historical figures and events. The Defense Department’s initiative aims to purge content that highlights diversity efforts in the military, following an executive order by President Donald Trump.
The database obtained by The Associated Press reveals over 26,000 flagged images for removal across all military branches, with the potential for a much higher total. The removal targets women, minorities, and significant military milestones, raising concerns about the erasure of historical content and confusion surrounding the directive’s implementation.
Photos containing the word “gay” were among those marked for deletion, such as images of the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and service members with the same last name. The removal also extended to unrelated instances, like an Army Corps of Engineers project and photos of fish projects.
While some iconic images like those of the Tuskegee Airmen have been listed in the database, their historical significance may protect them from deletion. The Air Force faced backlash for briefly removing content related to the Tuskegee Airmen, highlighting the challenges in implementing the directive effectively.
The Pentagon’s rapid compliance with the removal directive has resulted in the deletion of numerous images, but some content remains visible, reflecting partial removals and inconsistencies in the process. The Marine Corps, in particular, has identified thousands of items for removal, emphasizing the magnitude of the task at hand.
In response to the directive, the military services have been extensively reviewing and removing content that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. The efforts to comply with the directive have led to the removal of thousands of images and stories across various platforms, with ongoing challenges in managing the vast amount of content.
The creation of the database serves archival purposes to demonstrate compliance with federal laws, ensuring transparency in content removal decisions. However, the decentralized responsibility for preserving images has posed challenges in restoring deleted content, underscoring the complexities of managing historical records in a digital age.
As the military services navigate the removal process, the focus remains on aligning with the directive to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion content. The ongoing efforts to purge thousands of images and posts underscore the evolving landscape of diversity regulations within the military and the broader implications of historical preservation in the digital era.
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