The U.S. Department of Defense is currently engaged in the process of eliminating thousands of archival materials and online content following President Trump’s instruction to eradicate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) topics. As reported by the *Associated Press*, this initiative has resulted in the removal of historically important materials, including acknowledgments of World War II veterans, Medal of Honor winners, all-female military units, and even the Enola Gay—the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945.

The elimination appears to focus on military-related references involving women and minorities, with social media posts and web pages honoring diverse historical moments also facing deletion. Nevertheless, the keyword-driven search methodology employed to pinpoint DEI-related content has led to the identification of unrelated materials. For instance, posts that include the term “Gay” (like references to the Enola Gay or people sharing that surname) have been singled out for removal. Furthermore, scientific research conducted by Army Corps biologists and seemingly arbitrary images with captions such as “Minnesota brothers reunite in Kuwait” have also been flagged. While some content has already been erased, the criteria for what warrants removal remain ambiguous.

An unnamed source informed the *AP* that up to 100,000 images and posts across all branches of the military may be deleted. Some personnel are attempting to safeguard the materials by capturing screenshots before they vanish. Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot remarked, “We are pleased by the swift adherence throughout the Department with the [directive](https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4079501/pentagon-releases-digital-content-refresh-memorandum/) to eliminate DEI content from all platforms. In rare circumstances where content is removed beyond the directive’s purview, we offer additional guidance.”

The directive was issued in February by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has also eliminated DEI initiatives from U.S. military academies and broadened policies prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces. Simultaneously, the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has asserted that terminating DEI-related Defense Department contracts will yield savings of $80 million. However, the agency has been accused of exaggerating its estimated savings.