Hegseth ‘proud’ to end Women, Peace and Security program
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday declared he had begun to shutter a Pentagon program meant to advance women’s participation in peace-building and conflict prevention,
a law written by GOP lawmakers that President Trump signed in his first term.“This morning, I proudly ENDED the “Women, Peace & Security” (WPS) program inside the [Defense Department],” Hegseth wrote in a post on X.
He said the program was “yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING.”
Hegseth also called WPS a “UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists,” claiming that “troops HATE it.”
As the program is under federal statute and can’t be outright killed by Hegseth alone, he said the Pentagon would comply with the minimum requirements of the WPS and fight to end the program during DOD’s next appropriations process.
Hegseth’s move to dismantle the program is particularly notable given that Trump signed the program into law in 2017, after it was backed by multiple members of his current Cabinet while they were members of Congress.
The 2017 Women, Peace and Security Act was penned by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, then a member of the House representing South Dakota, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).
The Senate’s version of the law was co-sponsored by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, then a Florida senator. Rubio on April 1 had lauded the Women, Peace and Security Act, saying it was “the first law passed by any country in the world focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society.”
And Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, a former House member for Florida, was a founding member of the WPS Caucus when he was in Congress.
The Trump campaign website even cited the initiative as one of its top accomplishments for women during his first term.The law was intended to promote the participation of women in all aspects of overseas conflict prevention, management and resolution, as well as post-conflict relief and recovery efforts, to be implemented at the State Department, Pentagon and other government agencies.
The Biden administration later issued several action plan memos for how the Pentagon would implement the program in the building, including most recently in December.
Hegseth later pushed back on those who had pointed out the law had been signed under Trump, claiming the Biden administration had “distorted & weaponized the straight-forward & security-focused WPS initiative launched in 2017,” though he did not provide examples.
Democrat lawmakers quickly bashed Hegseth for the move to end WPS, with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) – a top member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who helped usher the bipartisan legislation through Congress – saying the Defense secretary is weakening country’s global standing and “has absolutely no idea what he’s doing.”
“Every combatant commander who comes through my office highlights the strategic advantage WPS gives U.S. forward deployed forces,” she said in a statement.
“This follows a dangerous and disturbing pattern from the Secretary, who clearly does not listen to advice from senior military leaders. He also continues to ignore the invaluable role women play in our national security. It’s startling that just because the word ‘women’ is in the title, this evidence-based security program has been reduced to a DEI program,” Shaheen added.
Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), the co-chair of the WPS Caucus, called Hegseth’s move “outrageous and reckless.”
“The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) initiative isn’t ‘woke’—it’s smart, strategic policy grounded in decades of research and bipartisan law, signed by President Trump in 2017,” Frankel said in a statement. “Dismissing WPS as a ‘UN feminist plot’ is not just ignorant—it’s dangerous. It denies the reality on the ground, ignores our own defense and diplomatic priorities, and weakens our national security.”
Hegseth has sought to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the military, attacking any initiatives as “woke.” As Pentagon chief, he has ended any commemorations of identity celebrations such as Black History Month,
removed certain books from the U.S. Naval Academy – including those on the Holocaust, histories of civil rights, racism and feminism – and ordered Army and Air Force libraries to identify books related to DEI.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5272905-hegseth-pentagon-women-peace-security/
