Braxton Taylor
The Army and the Navy have taken down web pages that showcased the contributions of female soldiers and sailors, an apparent response to President Donald Trump’s executive order to kill diversity initiatives across the federal government.
The web page for the U.S. Army Women’s Museum at Fort Gregg-Adams in Hopewell, Virginia, was removed at some point before Tuesday, showing just a broken link and error message.
After queries from media outlets including Military.com, the message was replaced with a statement saying the museum remains open, but the website was under review.
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“In order to ensure compliance with recent executive orders the website is temporarily offline undergoing additional content review. Our galleries are open to the public Tuesday — Friday 9:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m,” the message reads.
Elsewhere across Army websites, some pages remain intact, including a Women in the U.S. Army web page.
At the Navy History and Heritage Command, a page devoted to women’s service in the U.S. Navy was removed this week as well, replaced by a “page not found” message.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Ivester, a spokesman for the command, said the page was removed as the service works through its documentation to ensure it complies with the president’s directions.
“We are working to fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the executive orders issued by the president, ensuring that they are carried out with utmost professionalism, efficiency, and in alignment with national security objectives,” Ivester said in a statement to Military.com Thursday.
Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 ending diversity initiatives across the federal government. On Jan. 31, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that the Pentagon would not celebrate “identity months,” abolishing department support for Black History and Women’s History months as well as Pride celebrations, National Disability Employment Awareness and more.
“Installations, units, and offices are encouraged to celebrate the valor and success of military heroes of all races, genders, and backgrounds as we restore our warrior culture and ethos,” Hegseth wrote in an announcement.
Trump’s executive order prompted the federal government, including the armed forces, to abolish diversity offices and place those who work in them on leave.
The directive also ordered agencies to review all policies and programs to ensure they complied.
The order has led to confusion in numerous circumstances, including a pause at Air Force Basic Military Training on trailblazers that included the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, who helped pilot aircraft stateside during World War II.
Web pages on women’s history pages for the U.S. Air Force Museum, Marine Corps History Division and an extensive collection of the Coast Guard Historian’s Office were online as of Thursday.
National Public Radio reported Wednesday that the National Cryptologic Museum at Fort Meade, Maryland, covered up plaques that featured women and people of color who worked for the National Security Agency and were highlighted in the museum’s Hall of Honor.
Several former NSA employees, including Larry Pfeiffer, a two-decade alumnus of the National Security Agency and former chief of staff at the Central Intelligence Agency, and retired Gen. Michael Hayden, the agency’s former director, posted photos on social media showing the papered-over exhibits.
After viewers organized a meetup at the museum to protest, NSA Executive Director Sheila Thomas told NPR the papering was a mistake.
“There was absolutely never an intention to cover up parts of our history,” Thomas told NPR. “As soon as we became aware [of it], we said, ‘Oh, that was not what was intended.'”
Elisa Cardnell, a former Navy lieutenant who now serves as president and CEO of the advocacy group Service Women’s Action Network, said that although the websites may be down, the contributions of women in the armed forces cannot be discounted.
“Women have been in the military and in combat since the inception of our country. … Covering our names and our photos isn’t going to erase the contributions that women have made … in the all-volunteer force that frankly, without women, would not have been able to meet their recruiting goals,” Cardnell said in an interview.
“Without women, they would not be able to man the ships or fly the airplanes or win the wars,” she said.
Women make up 50.5% of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2021, women made up slightly more than 17% of the active-duty forces. Women also make up 11% of the U.S. veteran population, and that figure is expected to grow to 18% by 2048, according to the Pew Research Center.
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