The president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed a series of executive orders on Monday to eliminate the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) of the military, restore thousands of troops that were expelled for rejecting the Vaccines COVID-19 during the pandemic and point to the transgender troops.
Earlier on Monday, Pete Hegseth, who obtained sufficient votes to become Secretary of Defense, referred to the names of the confederate generals who were once used for two key bases during his comments to journalists when he entered the Pentagon On his first full day at work work. .
Trump signed the executive orders while flying from Miami to Washington DC.
One of the executive orders signed by Trump said that expressing a “gender identity” different from the sex of an individual at birth did not meet military standards.
While the order prohibited the use of “invented” pronouns in the army, it did not answer basic questions, even if the transgender soldiers currently serve in the army could stay and, if not, how they would be eliminated.
Trump’s plans have been highly criticized by defense groups, which say their actions would be illegal.
“President Trump has made it clear that a key priority for his administration is promoting transgender people to the closet and out of public life,” said Joshua Block, of the American Union of Civil Liberties, before Monday.
During his first term, Trump announced that he would prohibit transgender troops from serving in the army. He did not continue completely with that prohibition: his administration froze his recruitment while allowing the service personnel to remain.
Biden revoked the decision when he assumed the position in 2021.
The Army has around 1.3 million active service personnel, as shown in the data of the Department of Defense. While transgender rights defenders say there are up to 15,000 members of the transgender service, officials say the number is in low thousand.
When Trump announced his first prohibition in 2017, he said that the military should focus on the “decisive and overwhelming victory” without being loaded by the “tremendous medical costs and the interruption” of having transgender staff.
Internal approach
Hegesh has promised to bring important changes to the Pentagon and has made Dei from the military eliminate a priority.
Trump’s executive order on the end of Dei in the Army said that the service academies should teach “that the United States and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history.”
The United States Air Force said on Sunday that it would resume the instruction of students who use a video about the first black aviators in the US Army. UU., Known as the aviators of Tuskegee, who has approved a review to guarantee The fulfillment of the Trump ban on the initiatives ofi.
Hegseth was warmly received on the Pentagon steps by the main American military official, the General of the Air Force CQ Brown, whom Hegseth criticized in his last book. When asked if he could say goodbye to Brown, Hegseth joked that he was stopped just by his side.
“I am standing with him right now. I hope to work with him ”, while he gave Brown on his back.
Reuters He has previously informed about the possibility of massive shots between the upper brass, something that Hegseth repeatedly refused to rule out during his confirmation process.
Hegesh referred to Fort Moore and Fort Liberty for their previous names, Fort Benning and Fort Bragg, while talking to journalists.
The names in honor of the confederate officers were changed under former President Joe Biden as part of an effort to reexamine the history of the United States and the confederate legacy.
“I am thinking of the boys and girls in Guam, Germany, Fort Benning and Fort Bragg,” Hegseth said.
Much of the Hegesh approach in the Pentagon could be internal for the army, including the good in Trump’s executive order to bring the troops discharged back for rejecting Covid vaccines.
Thousands of service members were withdrawn from the army after the Pentagon made the vaccine mandatory in 2021.
Missile defense for us
Trump also signed an executive order that “demanded a process to develop an American iron dome.”
The short -range Iron Dome Dome Air Defense System was built by Rafael’s advanced defense systems with the US support and was built to intercept rockets fired towards Israel.
Each unit touched in truck shoots radar -guided missiles to exploit short -range threats, such as rockets, mortars and drones in the air.
The system determines whether a rocket is ongoing to reach a populated area. If not, the rocket is ignored and allowed to land harmlessly. Any effort of this type would take years to be implemented in the United States.
He emphasizes the ‘fair’ trade, discusss defense purchases and immigration with modi
Separately, the White House said Trump emphasized the importance of India bought more security equipment made in the United States and progress towards a fair bilateral commercial relationship in a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
Later, Trump told journalists that he also talked about the issue of immigration and that Modi will visit the United States at some time in February. The White House said previously that the two leaders discussed the plans for a Modi visit.
In what the White House called a “productive call”, leaders discussed the expansion and deepening of cooperation and problems, including security in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Europe.
Reuters He reported last week that Indian and American diplomats are trying to organize a meeting of leaders already in February.
Trump and Modi enjoyed warm relationships in the first mandate of the president of the United States, but during his re -election campaign, Trump described India as a “very large abuse” of commerce and promised to use tariffs on world imports in the United States To correct imbalances.
Trump has also threatened the BRICS Group, of which India is part, with tariffs if they did not accept their demand to commit not to create a new currency.
In Monday’s call, Trump “emphasized the importance of India increase its acquisition of security equipment made in the United States and progress towards a fair bilateral commercial relationship,” said a statement from the White House.
The United States is the largest commercial partner in India and bidirectional trade exceeded $ 118 billion in 2023/24, with India publishing a surplus of $ 32 billion.
India is also an important strategic partner in the efforts of the United States to counteract China, and in a publication on social networks on Monday, Modi called Trump a “dear friend” and said they were “committed to a mutually beneficial association and reliable. “
“We will work together for the well -being of our people and towards global peace, prosperity and security,” said Modi.
An Indian statement said the leaders discussed technology, commerce, investment, energy and defense and “agreed to remain in contact and meet soon at an early and mutually convenient date.”
The White House said Trump and Modi emphasized their commitment to the Quads group that brings together the United States and India with Australia and Japan, with India to receive quadruple leaders at the end of this year.
Tanvi Madan, an expert in India at the Brookings institution in Washington, said it seemed likely to visit Washington soon, with reciprocal Trump when attending the quad summit.
“Immigration problems are clearly on the Trump administration agenda when it comes to India,” he said. “Its impact will depend in part of India’s answer to Trump’s questions, but also how the broader debate of those issues in Washington develops.”
Madan said India would expect a position from the United States changed towards the close relations of India with Russia, but for the moment, he would have to deal with US sanctions to Moscow about the Ukraine War.
Trump told journalists on Monday that he will “do the right thing” when it comes to recovering Indian immigrants who illegally came to the United States.
In a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of India last week, Trump’s Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, emphasized the desire to “address concerns related to irregular migration.”
Trump has promised to take energetic measures against illegal immigration and Bloomberg news It reported last week that India and the United States have identified about 18,000 Indian migrants who are illegally in the United States.
Trump has said that he is open to the legal migration of qualified workers and that India is known for its large group of IT professionals, many of whom work worldwide. Accounts to most of the qualified worker H-1B visas issued by the United States.
The US readings this week and the last one did not mention Washington’s accusations of the participation of India in a plot of murders in the American soil against a SIJ separatist that was an uncomfortable factor in relations in the last part of The Biden administration.