Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 21 / Monday, February 3, 2025 / Presidential Documents 8763 

Executive Order 14185 of January 27, 2025 

Restoring America’s Fighting Force 

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the 

laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: 

Section 1. Purpose. As Chief Executive and as Commander in Chief, I am 

committed to meritocracy and to the elimination of race-based and sexbased discrimination within the Armed Forces of the United States. No 

individual or group within our Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, color, or creed. 

Unfortunately, in recent years civilian and uniformed leadership alike have 

implemented Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and their attendant race and sex preferences within the Armed Forces. These actions 

undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality 

and force readiness. They also violate Americans’ consciences by engaging 

in invidious race and sex discrimination. 

Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration that the Department 

of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security with regard to the United 

States Coast Guard (USCG), and every element of the Armed Forces should 

operate free from any preference based on race or sex. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. (a) A ‘‘DEI office’’ means an office, division, job, or 

other unit of an institution established for the purpose of: 

(i) influencing hiring or employment practices at the institution with 

respect to race, sex, color, or ethnicity, other than through the use of 

color-blind and sex-neutral hiring processes; or 

(ii) promoting differential treatment of or providing special benefits to 

individuals on the basis of race, sex, color, or ethnicity. 

(b) The term ‘‘gender ideology’’ has the meaning given to that term in 

section 2(f) of the Executive Order of January 20, 2025, (Defending Women 

from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government). 

(c) The term ‘‘divisive concepts’’ has the meaning given to that term 

in section 2(a) of Executive Order 13950 of September 22, 2020 (Combating 

Race and Sex Stereotyping). 

Sec. 4. Abolishing the DEI Bureaucracy. The Secretary of Defense and the 

Secretary of Homeland Security shall abolish every DEI office within the 

Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security with regard 

to the USCG, respectively, including any vestiges of DEI offices, such as 

sub-offices, programs, elements, or initiatives established to promote a racebased preferences system that subverts meritocracy, perpetuates unconstitutional discrimination, and promotes divisive concepts or gender ideology. 

Sec. 5. Department of Defense Internal Review. The Secretary of Defense 

shall conduct an internal review that documents actions taken in pursuit 

of DEI initiatives, including all instances of race and sex discrimination 

and activities designed to promote a race- or sex-based preferences system. 

The report shall be delivered to the Secretary of Defense within 90 days 

of the date of this order. 


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8764 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 21 / Monday, February 3, 2025 / Presidential Documents 

Sec. 6. Protecting American Values. (a) The Department of Defense and 

the Armed Forces, including any educational institution operated or controlled thereby, are prohibited from promoting, advancing, or otherwise inculcating the following un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, 

and irrational theories: 

(i) ‘‘divisive concepts,’’ as defined in section 3(c) of this order, and ‘‘race 

or sex stereotyping,’’ or ‘‘race or sex scapegoating’’ as both terms are 

defined in section 2 of Executive Order 13950, as amended; 

(ii) that America’s founding documents are racist or sexist; and 

(iii) ‘‘gender ideology,’’ as defined in section 3(b) of this order. 

(b) The Department of Defense and the Armed Forces shall not hire 

employees, contractors, or consultants to teach the theories set forth in 

subsection (a) of this section. 

(c) The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security 

shall carefully review the leadership, curriculum, and instructors of the 

United States Service Academies and other defense academic institutions 

associated with their respective Departments to ensure alignment with this 

order. In addition, these institutions shall be required to teach that America 

and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in 

human history. 

Sec. 7. Implementation. (a) The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary 

of Homeland Security shall issue detailed guidance for the implementation 

of this order to their respective departments within 30 days of the date 

of this order. 

(b) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense 

and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a report through the 

Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy documenting the progress of their respective 

Departments in implementing this order, and any recommendations for action 

to fulfill the objectives of this order. 

Sec. 8. Severability. If any provision of this order, or the application of 

any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the 

remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other 

persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. 

Sec. 9. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed 

to impair or otherwise affect: 

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or 

the head thereof; or 

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 

relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. 

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and 

subject to the availability of appropriations. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 21 / Monday, February 3, 2025 / Presidential Documents 8765 

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, 

substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party 

against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, 

employees, or agents, or any other person. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

January 27, 2025. 

[FR Doc. 2025–02181 

Filed 1–31–25; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


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