Hegseth Says He Ended 'Woke' Program Trump Made Law

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boasted on social media Tuesday that he had dismantled a program supporting women on security teams—and may not have realized the program he tried to break was not a "woke" Biden-era initiative but instead a celebrated program signed into law by his boss, President Trump.

• In a post on X, Hegseth said he "proudly ENDED" the Women, Peace and Security program at the Department of Defense, calling it a "a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists." "Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it," he said.
• Hegseth said the Pentagon would comply only with the minimum requirements under federal statute and lobby to kill off the program during the budget appropriation process, Politico reports.

• It was, in fact, bipartisan legislation that Trump signed into law in 2017 that recognized the role women have in achieving security objectives, especially in situations overseas where their male counterparts may not for cultural or religious reasons be able to question women, the AP reports. Trump's own Cabinet officials supported the program when it was working its way through the legislative process.
• This month, Gen. Dan Caine, the new Joint Chiefs Chairman, told Congress that the program had helped troops in battle. "When we would go out into the field after concluding an assault, we would have female members who would speak with those women and children who were on the objective and they would help us to understand the human terrain in a new and novel way," Caine said during his April confirmation hearing.
• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who at the time represented South Dakota in the House, wrote the House version of the 2017 Women, Peace and Security Act alongside Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois.

• While Hegseth in his post called the program "yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops," the program has been celebrated by Trump, his administration, and his family, the AP reports. It became a heralded part of the first Trump administration's accomplishments for women.
• Hegseth's tweet drew immediate fire from Senate Democrats. "That tweet contains some glaring inaccuracies that are far beneath the standard we should expect from the Department of Defense," Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said as he read the tweet aloud during a congressional hearing Tuesday.
• In a follow-up post on X hours later, Hegseth wrote: "The woke & weak Biden Administration distorted & weaponized the straight-forward & security-focused WPS initiative launched in 2017. So—yes—we are ending the "woke divisive/social justice/Biden (WPS) initiative." He added: "Biden ruined EVERYTHING, including 'Women, Peace & Security.'"

(More Pete Hegseth stories.)