Public affairs offices at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), Marine Corps Base Quantico and at Fort Walker in Caroline County have begun complying with a recent Department of Defense (DoD) order to remove any social media or online content celebrating various cultures or recognizing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
Officials at the installations posted social media messages recently stating that they are scrubbing their platforms to be in alignment with DoD instruction 5400.17 and executive orders issued by President Donald Trump.
This means the removal of articles, videos and photos recognizing the accomplishments of minorities in the military if the recognition is tied to DEI initiatives such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month or Women’s History Month, among other observances.
“The U.S. Army has reviewed and adjusted its social media content to ensure compliance with DoD policies and priorities,” Fort Walker officials posted to its Facebook page. “As a result, certain posts have been removed, are in the process of being removed, or modified to maintain consistency with federal guidance and uphold the integrity of our official communications channels.”
An Army spokesperson told the Free Press that, “immediate steps were taken to comply with all executive orders related to diversity, equity and inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) personnel, programs and policies.”
A Navy spokesperson said all armed forces installations have until Wednesday to comply with instructions to perform a “digital content refresh” as directed by the president and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
“By March 5, 2025, Components must take all practical steps, consistent with records management requirements to remove all DoD news and feature articles, photos and videos that promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI),” Pentagon Press Secretary Sean Parnell wrote in a memo.
The removal includes all social media as well as Defense Visual Information Distribution Services (DVIDS) and websites hosted on the American Forces Public Information Management System (AFPIMS). The Defense Media Activity (DMA) will support systematic content removal from DVIDS and AFPIMS, but installations are responsible for ensuring continued compliance across all digital properties, according to a DoD memo.
Parnell directed installations to provide a “blanket statement” on their social media platforms advising that they were removing content and explaining why.
NSWCDD public affairs personnel regularly posted articles to Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn highlighting accomplishments of successful women, minorities and disabled individuals serving its installation. The articles were also posted to https://www.navsea.navy.mil/.
“Something like that won’t be deleted forever, but it’ll be archived and no longer available on Navy websites,” the Navy spokesperson said.
Parnell instructed that if any installations are unable to remove all DEI content by Wednesday, officials must take down all news articles, photos and videos published between Jan. 20, 2021, and Jan. 19, 2025, until all the content is fully reviewed and the DEI content is wiped away.
“While DEI-related content outside of this date range must also be removed, articles, photos and videos from the last four years are the immediate priority to align DoD communications with the current administration,” Parnell wrote.
According to the DoD memo, DEI content includes information that promotes Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, and “preferential treatment or quotas” based upon sex, race or ethnicity. Cultural awareness months were specifically targeted for removal, based on instruction from Hegseth that “identity months are dead at DoD.”
Content focused on base conditions, activities and services; current and historical leadership biographies; DoD education and school activities; and moral, welfare, recreation and commissary activities will be allowed.
“We remain committed to transparency, professionalism and adherence to DoD directives while continuing to engage with our community in a manner that reflects our core values,” Fort Walker’s Facebook post stated.
