Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is introducing a new policy called “Restoring Good Order and Discipline Through Balanced Accountability,” a new plan he says will block members of the Department of Defense from weaponizing equal opportunity programs.
“We’re back with more reforms here at DOD, and this one is one of the most important ones we’ve done. The official title is Restoring Good Order and Discipline Through Balanced Accountability — little wordy, but over the target. The real title that I call it, ‘The No More Walking on Eggshells Policy,’” Hegseth said in a video announcement shared to X Friday. “You see, too often at the Defense Department there are complaints made for certain reasons that can’t be verified that end people’s career, either though EO (Equal Opportunity) or the IG; we need to reform that process completely so commanders can be commanders.”
He then broke down the policy further, sharing his own examples of what he deems as ways in which people have abused equal opportunity programs in the past.
“Let me explain it a little bit more, so the DOD has equal opportunity programs for service members and civilians to report discrimination and harassment — that’s a good thing. But, what’s not good is when these programs are weaponized,” the secretary said. “Some individuals use these programs in bad faith to retaliate against superiors or peers; I hear it all the time. Say you receive a bad evaluation — well, file a military EO complaint; it’s nonsense and we want to fix that.”
Hegseth concluded his video saying that his new order will analyze active EO initiatives within the government sector, which he states will assist officials in their duties as “leaders” and rule enforcers.
“That’s why today I’m signing a memo entitled, as I said, ‘Restoring Good Order and Discipline Through Balanced Accountability,” Hegesth said. “It directs a comprehensive review of equal opportunity programs to ensure prompt and impartial investigations, fair treatment to all parties involved and timely and appropriate resolution of allegations of discrimination. So here’s the goal: empower leaders to make tough decisions, enforce standards and restore good order and discipline. Otherwise known as ‘No More Walking on Eggshells.’ This is an important one; proud to sign it.”
Hegseth’s move came in the midst of a slew of controversies and questions regarding how suited he is to perform his job as the nation’s secretary of defense.
Recently, NPR reported that President Donald Trump and his administration was ready to replace Hegseth following dual scandals involving leaked classified information on the Signal chat app. Though the White House denied the report, Hegseth’s name has continued to make headlines since he stepped into the role for a number of reasons, including his alleged history of sexual assault, alcohol abuse and public misconduct.