Hegseth Slams ‘Diversity Is Our Strength’ in Pentagon Town Hall

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday doubled down on his push to eliminate the department’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and renewed his pledge that the military would support President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts.

“I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength,’” Hegseth told a town hall meeting with Defense Department employees at the Pentagon on Friday. “I think our strength is our unity. Our strength is our shared purpose.”

Hegseth has followed Trump’s lead in pushing to root out DEI programs in the government and moving to ban transgender troops from ...