The Pentagon is deleting tens of thousands of images from a database as part of a government order purging diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content.
The Associated Press reports that more than 26,000 images are marked for deletion. But an official tells the news agency that the number could rise as high as 100,000 images in total.
Photos flagged for deletion include images of the Enola Gay aircraft which dropped an atomic bomb on Japan. The plane is named after the mother of its pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets, Enola Gay Tibbets. But the pictures are being purged because her name contains the word “Gay.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the military has until Wednesday to remove DEI content. The move follows President Donald Trump’s executive order ending such programs across the federal government.
It appears as if the ban’s enforcers are searching keywords like “gay” or “black” in the system and marking any pictures that are returned. That’s why the photos of the B-29 Enola Gay aircraft are earmarked for deletion. Photos of an Army Corps of Engineers dredging project in California are also on the chopping block because one of the local engineers had the surname Gay.
Other purge targets include women and minorities who achieved notable milestones in the military. Posts commemorating various minority months — such as for Black and Hispanic — are also to be removed.
Some of the posts have only been partly deleted. Such as this one for Women’s History Month where the text remains but the photo has gone. A post titled “Engineering pioneer remembered during Black History Month” has been deleted entirely
There is confusion in agencies about how exactly to follow Trump’s order. One photo of an Army Corps biologist is on the list is because the metadata mentions a fish’s weight, size, hatchery, and, crucially, gender.
Other photos flagged for deletion include one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the US’s first Black flying squadron who fought in World War II. But the AP reports that it is likely they will be saved owing to historical context.
The air force removed videos of the Tuskegee Airmen from its new recruit training courses but that drew the White House’s ire over “malicious compliance” and the air force reinstated it.
“We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms,” says Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot in a statement. “In the rare cases that content is removed that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct components accordingly.”
Hegseth has declared that “DEI is dead” and that the programs erode camaraderie among ranks.
Image credits: Public Domain.
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