Compass Points - Death of DEI?
Marine Corps never had DEI?
Compass Points - Death of DEI?
Marine Corps never had DEI?
October 21, 2025
.
The Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, is a US Army veteran, but he likes and respects the Marine Corps and he likes and respects Marines. Hegseth has even suggested he would be proud if his own children joined the Marines.
Secretary Hegseth has visited Marine Corps bases twice in the last three weeks. In his remarks on both occasions, Hegseth spoke powerfully about things he wants more of like, discipline, physical fitness, and a focus on preparing for war, Hegseth also spoke of something he does not like: woke DEI.
On September 30, 2025 at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Hegseth addressed hundreds of senior military leaders from all military branches. He was blunt on the subject of woke DEI.
.
------------------------
------------------------
.
For too long, we’ve promoted too many uniformed leaders for the wrong reasons, based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts.
. . . Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the woke department. But not anymore.
. . . This administration has done a great deal from day one to remove the social justice, politically correct, and toxic ideological garbage that had infected our department, to rip out the politics. No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship. No more division, distraction or gender delusions. No more debris.
As I’ve said before and will say again, we are done with that shit. I’ve made it my mission to uproot the obvious distractions that made us less capable and less lethal.
. . . When it comes to combat arms units, and there are many different stripes across our joint force, the era of politically correct, overly sensitive, don’t hurt anyone’s feelings leadership ends right now. At every level, either you can meet the standard, either you can do the job, either you are disciplined, fit and trained, or you are out.
-- Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, September 30, 2025
.
------------------------
------------------------
.
Just over two weeks later, Secretary Hegseth spoke at MCB Camp Pendleton. As part of the Navy and Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary celebration, he observed an amphibious assault demonstration and spoke to a crowd of Marines and friends of the Corps. In his remarks, Secretary Hegseth warned again about the dangers of woke DEI.
.
------------------------
------------------------
.
Your diversity is not your strength, it never has been. Your strength is in your unity of purpose. It’s in your shared mission. It’s in your oath to the constitution. It’s the bond that turns individuals into single minded fighting units. You are set apart. You’re not civilians. You are Devil Dogs, Leathernecks, United States Marines. Oorah!
-- Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, October 18, 2025
.
------------------------
------------------------
.
Secretary Hegseth mistakenly claimed that the Marine Corps was the one service that had refused to become involved in the whole woke DEI mess.
.
------------------------
------------------------
.
When other parts of the [war] department wanted to go woke, the Marine Corps stood strong.
-- Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, October 18, 2025
.
------------------------
------------------------
.
Unfortunately, the reality of the Marine Corps and woke DEI is very different from what the Secretary believes. While Hegseth said no more, “DEI offices” the Marine Corps had a DEI office, with a senior civilian in charge of that office. The Marine Corps had a DEI campaign plan. The Marine Corps, like all the military services, jumped into DEI with both boots.
Where did Hegseth get the idea that the Marine Corps, among all the military services, was the only service that never went woke, never participated in the whole misguided DEI distraction?
Most likely Hegseth got that idea from some less than accurate words from the Marine Corps Commandant.
The sad truth is that since January 2025, as the new administration arrived, the Marine Corps has been busy running away from its own comprehensive and destructive DEI program. The Marine Corps has tried to run away so fast and so far, that it is putting at risk something far more important than any human resource program: honest and trustworthy leadership.
On January 2025, the current Marine Commandant sat down with the Defense Writers Group to answer questions. He was asked about the Marine Corps and DEI. He began his answer by saying, “I’ll be candid.”
.
------------------------
------------------------
.
As far as DEI, the Marine Corps has not had DEI programs.
. . . We don’t do DEI in the Marine Corps, we never have.
-- USMC Commandant, Eric Smith
.
------------------------
------------------------
.
The Marine Corps has not had DEI programs?
Until recently, Marines could easily access online the Marine Corps Diversity and Inclusion department and beyond that, the five-year Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan. Now both the department and the DEI Strategic Plan have disappeared.
The Marine Corps has not had DEI programs?
Has the current Commandant forgotten that he was the Assistant Commandant when the 2021 edition of the Marine Corps’ Talent Management 2030 was issued. Talent Management 2030 had an entire section devoted to DEI,
.
“DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT”
including:
.
• Reinforcing diversity.
• Promoting equity.
• Encouraging a culture of inclusion.
.
The Marine Corps has not had DEI programs?
Has the current Commandant forgotten that he was the Assistant Commandant when the Commandant was questioned about DEI by a reporter, Chris Panolfo: “Berger suggested that if DEI training were a problem for the Marine Corps, there would be evidence of Marines leaving the service.”
Obviously, in trying to defend the Marine Corps DEI program, former Commandant Berger admitted the Marine Corps was actively conducting, “DEI training.”
The Marine Corps has not had DEI programs?
The truth is for many years, the Marine Corps has been as deep into DEI as any of the military services. It is an open secret that Marine promotion boards for years have been ordered to focus not on merit alone, but instead to give special consideration to Marines with favored race, sex, and identity. It is only now when the new administration has turned against DEI that the Marine Corps’ current Commandant has started claiming that the Marine Corps, “has not had DEI programs . . . we never have.”
While different people have different views about DEI, far beyond the controversy of DEI, the Marine Corps must have trustworthy leadership.
MCDP-1 Warfighting emphasizes the importance of trust:
.
---------------
---------------
.
Trust must be earned, and actions which undermine trust must meet with strict censure. . . .
-- MCDP 1 Warfighting, p3-7
.
---------------
---------------
.
In his speech at Quantico on September 30, 2025, Secretary Hegseth specifically warned the Flag and General Officers of all military services that it is a new day in the US military and either they meet the new standards or they get out. There are many standards in the military, as there should be. There are physical fitness standards, performance standards, and there are standards of trust.
Compass Points salutes Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, for his focus on warriors and war. Secretary Hegseth is restoring the warfighting focus of the US military. At the core of a stronger military is setting and enforcing high standards for everyone. Marines who are not trustworthy in word or in deed, do not meet the standard. As Hegseth himself has said, “At every level, either you can meet the standard, . . . or you are out.”
.
- - - - -
.
US Department of War - 09/30/2025
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth Addresses General and Flag Officers at Quantico, Virginia
.
- - - - -
.
Compass Points - No DEI here???
Please don’t look behind the curtain.
January 23, 2025
marinecorpscompasspoints.substack.com/p/compass-points-no-dei-here
.
- - - - -
.
Marines.mil
Defense Writers Group Discussion with Commandant
15 Jan 2025
.
- - - - -
.
Fox News - 03/16/2023
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger says there’s ‘zero evidence’ DEI training distracts from readiness
Gen David Berger argued that if diversity, equity and inclusion programs were a problem, Marine Corps retention would be down
By Chris Pandolfo
.
- - - - -
.
New York Post - 06/01/2022
Marine Corps sparks outrage with rainbow bullets to mark Pride month
By Bruce Golding
https://nypost.com/2022/06/01/marine-corps-sparks-outrage-with-pride-month-rainbow-bullets/
Let me be clear. Berger lied. Smith is lying. Nothing to close ranks on. Bergers retired, and Smith needs to be fired.
DEI and other efforts of similar impact with different names and titles was alive and well through my entire career from 1974-2000. What was limited grew in size and intensity and exploded after I retired.
I first became aware of a dilution of merit while at my University 1970-74. I embraced the Marine Corps as a pure meritocracy at PLC Juniors in 1971. Once on active duty in 1974 I saw little of it but the beginnings were starting to show. By 1990 I became more aware of it but noted that resistance to “other than merit” decisions started to falter. By the time of my retirement in 2000 the seeds had been strewn far and wide and like weeds it was spreading. Pointing it out became increasingly divisive and unwelcome.
Sadly, some saw it in everything when it was not. Others saw none of it when it was obvious. The fact the merit was questioned at every turn, often justly, often as a figment of imagination and often just ignored
, caused a deeper problem. It undermined trust which is the critical element in leadership in war fighting institutions. That erosion of trust was the cancer in the institution. In the 25 years since my retirement the impact has been considerable. To pretend it never happened only makes it worse. Admit it, fix it and move forward. Anything else is either ignorance or a lie.