The Pentagon Intelligence Agency has reportedly paused programs and events related to a number of holidays, including Juneteenth, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance and Black History Month.
According to ABC News, the news first broke on social media early Wednesday morning after a memo was shared with the sites. Dated Jan. 28 of this year, the contents of the memo affected 11 annual events, including Women’s Equality Day, National Hispanic Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and National American Indian Heritage Month.
U.S. officials confirmed the veracity of the memo, claiming that the pause was initiated by the Defense Intelligence Agency and does not apply across the entire Defense Department. Per the memo, all activities and events connected to the Agency Special Emphasis Programs will be put on pause. Special observances will also be put on pause, but Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth will not be impacted.
“The Defense Intelligence Agency is working with the Department of Defense to fully implement all Executive Orders and Administration guidance in a timely manner,” said a DIA spokesman, Lt. Cmdr. Seth Clarke, per ABC News. “As we receive additional guidance, we will continue to update our internal guidance.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department’s intelligence agency has paused observances of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance and other cultural or historical annual events in response to President Donald Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and… pic.twitter.com/jLEYQvckUd
— Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) January 29, 2025
The DIA’s latest announcement is that it is attempting to deal with President Donald Trump’s immediate attacks on DEI programs. In his first week in office, President Donald Trump and his administration released a series of executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion staff in federal positions.
Agencies across the federal level announced massive upheavals, with departments such as the Department of Education, the Department of Veterans and the science agencies all announcing that their DEI initiatives would be removed completely. DEI guidelines have also all been removed from websites.
On Wednesday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that a task force will be created from staff members to ensure no DEI initiatives are still in the Pentagon.
“We’re not joking around,” said Hegseth on Fox News per AP News. “There’s no changing of names or softly manipulating something. DEI is gone.”
