The Pentagon is “walking on eggshells,” Heggs said. The woman in uniform said it felt like a “slap on the face”.

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a review of the policy of equal opportunity.

• Some service staff are concerned that the review may undermine progress on harassment and discrimination issues.

• But many agree that the plan needs to be reformed.

Various changes in the Pentagon have attracted the attention of some female service members. Now, a new memo may bring more changes and cause more alerts.

Top female officials have been fired since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took over the Pentagon, some of the history of women’s service has been erased, women’s leadership programs have been suppressed, and the advisory board focuses on women in the military.

Last Friday, Hegseth signed a memorandum directing the review of the Equal Opportunity Program and the procedures for reporting and investigating allegations of harassment. Hegseth said the move was called a “policy that no longer goes to the eggshell” policy, which would ensure faster and more impartial investigations.

“In the Department of Defense, there are frequent complaints that cannot be verified that people's careers have ended,” he said in the accompanying video.

But current and former female service members told Business Insider they fear potential changes could reverse recent addressing issues such as deception, sexual harassment, racism and social media misconduct.

Lieutenant Colonel Kate Delando, the retired Marine Corps lieutenant of the book “Fight Like Girls” told bi, “It seems that those at the bottom of the pecking order will be affected by the most adverse effects. [latest] Change – especially women and people of color. ”

A marine official who led the investigation told BI that the new memorandum appeared to be “part of their efforts to underrepresented groups”.

“Preventing false complaints doesn't seem like a bad thing,” she said anonymously, who had previously investigated suspicious claims, but said she hated the idea that “you may be punished if your order does not agree with you.”

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The new memorandum, titled “Restore good order and discipline through balanced accountability,” ordered the dismissal of complaints that were not confirmed by “reliable evidence of viable”. Rachel Vanlandingham, a law professor at Southwestern Law School and a law professor at the Air Force JAG, said the change could discredit private anonymous complaints or harassment.

Changes in Department of Defense policy may also have a huge impact on the minimum enlistment rating, which constitutes a large number of historical reports on bias and gender-based discrimination complaints.

The Military EO program is responsible for ensuring that personnel are allowed “full and equitable employment opportunities, career development and access programs without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, sexual orientation, genetic information or parental status”.

“These programs allow people to report discrimination and harassment, which is a good thing,” Heggs said in a Defense Department press release. “But when these programs are weaponized, the bad thing is. Some people use these programs maliciously to retaliate against superiors or peers.”

Heggs did not provide data on the scope of false allegations passed by the military EO program, but said in the video on X that he “has been hearing it all the time.

The secretary personally faced the false allegations of what he said were sexual assault. In 2020, Hegseth settled a dispute with a woman who said the former TV host sexually assaulted her. No charges were filed. At the confirmation hearing, he said the situation had been “completely investigated” and he was “completely cleared”.

The EO program has been reviewed before. Some critics say these policies make dissatisfied people susceptible to “character assassination.”

“There are some things that can be resolved,” Vanlandingham said, but with the memo, it seems that “they are just cheating on the program.”

Reuters' 2020 investigation found that the troops' complaints were much lower than those of the Department of Defense civilians, indicating concerns about retaliation from active duty personnel.

Vanlandingham said filing false charges is a crime that has been covered by a subdued military justice code, which criminalizes false official statements.

She added that changes to the EO plan could have a chilling impact on victims who may be afraid to report harassment.

A female veteran said: “I will never tell anyone to file an EO complaint, especially now. She spoke on anonymity because she is seeking federal work. The BI reviewed the documents related to her and her orders.

“If they don’t like you, now is definitely a way to get rid of you and have a negative impact on your career,” she said.

Another woman in active duty told BI she was worried that the changes would prevent the troops from filing complaints.

“It feels like a slap,” she said.

Unresolved issues

“I think the biggest question is who decides what is or is untrustworthy information or what is fair,” the German said. She said the internal investigation process of the military is already tricky – such investigations are usually conducted by troops with little to no meaningful investigation experience and are often granted to them as secondary positions.

Germans say that raising greater doubts about the legitimacy of the claims can make things more difficult, and that the explanation decisions may be influenced by the views of senior members of the headquarters, which is subject to their own experience.

Germans say this bias may lead to a pattern of sexual assault investigations, which is beneficial to perpetrators accused of being viewed positively by leaders.

BI asked the Defense Secretary’s Office whether eyewitness testimony was considered reliable evidence and what could happen if harassment occurred privately. The office referred to the personnel and ready statement of the Acting Deputy Deputy Secretary, Jules W. Hurst III.

“Protecting MEO and EEO programs and processes is critical to improving elite management and balanced accountability,” the statement said. “A comprehensive review will ensure that these procedures and processes are timely, efficient and effective, and that the tools designed to support them are applied in a way consistent with our mission and values.”

Advocates protect our defenders say the new memorandum “comes a clear and shocking message: self-risk reporting of misconduct.”

“By creating new judicial barriers and threatening retaliation against those who speak, the Department of Defense attempts to revoke Congress' mandatory legal protections through memorandums and provide sharpness for the size of survivors,” the group said.

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