Hegseth's Battle Against DEI Has Resulted in 'Far More' Racist Incidents at the Defense Department: Report

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has railed against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs since being confirmed earlier this year. However, this push has reportedly led to an uptick of racist incidents, according to insiders.

This adverse effect of Hegseth's efforts to fight what he has described as "wokeness" within the federal government was reported by the Daily Mail, who spoke to multiple insiders about an alleged letter by military officials to warn the public that Hegseth has "no clue what he's doing."

According to one of these sources, the Department of Defense has allegedly faced "far more" racist incidents. Several service members and officials of color reportedly believe that they are being evaluated more intensely compared to those in the same positions who are white.

"Some people are being looked at as if they don't deserve their positions," the source told the outlet. "The effect that has on productivity can't be overstated."

Since Hegseth's ascension to his role as secretary, several military bases originally named after Confederate generals were returned to those names after being renamed by previous administrations. Others, such the USNS Harvey Milk, named after the Navy veteran and gay rights activist, were renamed entirely.

Additionally, the secretary purged the Pentagon's website of images and articles related to any DEI-associated terms. However, he faced backlash after the sweeping removal took down an article about Jackie Robinson's military service, images of the WWII Enola Gay bomber and a page dedicated to a Black Medal of Honor recipient, among others.

Hegseth also ended the military's Women, Peace & Security program, which was created by President Donald Trump during his first term to emphasize the importance of promoting the role of women in conflict resolution and peace-building. He incorrectly called the program "another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative."

The alleged racist incidents come as military officials plan to release a letter in a week or so to the public warning of dysfunction within the Department of Defense. The letter reportedly bashes Hegseth for a variety of reasons, such as making decisions without input from advisers, delays in military business over focus on rooting out leakers and the secretary's dedication to appearances.

Meanwhile, Chief Spokesperson for the Department of Defense Sean Parnell dismissed the Daily Mail's report, describing it as "sensationalized mainstream media gossip" in a statement to the outlet.