Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boasted on social media Tuesday that he had dismantled a Department of Defense program supporting women on security teams—apparently unaware that the initiative he targeted was not a “woke” Biden-era creation, but a bipartisan program signed into law by President Donald Trump during his first term.
In an agitated post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Hegseth called the Department’s “Women, Peace & Security” (WPS) program “a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it.”
In reality, the WPS Act was championed by Trump’s own administration in 2017, recognizing the role women can play in achieving security objectives, especially overseas in cultural settings where male soldiers might be restricted.
Later Tuesday, Hegseth acknowledged that Trump signed the WPS into law while continuing to take aim at former President Joe Biden.
“The woke & weak Biden Administration distorted & weaponized the straight-forward & security-focused WPS initiative launched in 2017. So—yes—we are ending the ‘woke divisive/social justice/Biden (WPS) initiative.’ Biden ruined EVERYTHING, including “Women, Peace & Security.”
Newsweek has reached out to the White House and Pentagon on Tuesday afternoon for comment.
Gen. Dan Caine, recently confirmed as Joint Chiefs Chairman and a Trump appointee, praised the program during his April confirmation hearing.
“When we would go out into the field after concluding an assault, we would have female members who would speak with those women and children who were on the objective and they would help us to understand the human terrain in a new and novel way,” Caine testified.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, then a Republican congresswoman, co-wrote the House version of the 2017 WPS Act alongside Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who co-sponsored the Senate version, called it “the first law passed by any country in the world focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society.”
The initiative was originally inspired by a unanimous 2000 U.N. Security Council resolution promoting women’s roles in peacebuilding. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric defended the effort Tuesday, noting,
“It’s no secret that women remain, largely on the periphery of formal peace processes and decision making, which is not good for the cause of peace.” He added that WPS programs have had “a very clear, measurable and positive impact on the protection of civilians in conflict zones.”
Hegseth’s post drew swift backlash from Senate Democrats.
“Hegseth has absolutely no idea what he’s doing,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.
Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia also criticized the remarks, saying the post contained “glaring inaccuracies that are far beneath the standard we should expect from the Department of Defense.”
Despite Hegseth’s vow to minimize the program, WPS has been a signature accomplishment Trump, his administration, and even Ivanka Trump once celebrated, including efforts to train female police cadets in Colombia.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story.
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