Lockheed Martin has taken a firm stand, officially eliminating its DEI programs following an internal review aimed at aligning with a Trump-era executive order.
According to Breitbart News, the aerospace and defense giant discontinued two internal departments and dismantled key diversity-based initiatives to comply with federal directives prohibiting discriminatory practices under the guise of inclusion.
On Thursday, the company confirmed that a wide-ranging review had led to sweeping changes meant to align with the executive order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” As a federal contractor, Lockheed Martin is legally obligated to comply, and they chose not to dance around the directive.
In a message to employees, CEO Jim Taiclet emphasized that the company’s training programs have now been recalibrated to comply with the order, stripping out content that previously centered on race or identity group considerations.
Gone, too, are demographic-based hiring goals and affirmative action plans. Instead, the company retains its commitment to equal opportunity while emphasizing a strictly merit-based philosophy—something many conservatives see as long overdue in corporate America.
Perhaps most notably, Business Resource Groups and employee networks centered around identity or advocacy have been shuttered. In short, no more exclusive spaces carved out along lines of race, gender, or ideology.
The executive order in question applies to all federal contractors, like Lockheed Martin, requiring them to eliminate DEI policies that could fall afoul of anti-discrimination laws. While some companies have tried to find loopholes, Lockheed made no such detour.
“Lockheed doubling down on eviscerating any vestiges of DEI is a huge signal,” a source familiar with Trump-world politics told Breitbart News. “This is a huge win for Trump and for anyone who wants to return to this country being a real meritocracy.”
This isn’t just a one-off adjustment—it’s a cultural reset within one of the world’s largest defense companies, a signal that the DEI era in corporate boardrooms may be facing its expiration date.
Lockheed’s leadership, however, was careful to frame the changes within the company’s broader mission. Taiclet stated the firm had conducted a “thorough review” of recruitment, retention, and promotion strategies to ensure they matched both the executive order and the firm’s core values.
“Do What’s Right, Respect Others and Perform with Excellence” might sound like corporate boilerplate, but carving out DEI dogma while reinforcing equal opportunity suggests that principles now actually guide policy. The company, which employs around 121,000 people, also assured stakeholders that innovation and national security remain its top priorities, even as it navigates this internal reset.
As part of the overhaul, Lockheed will now align all external funding with both its corporate mission and the executive order. That likely means fewer grants to organizations pushing ideological agendas and more resources flowing to programs with a direct line to defense excellence. “Securing the future is a no-fail mission,” Taiclet said. “That’s why our nation’s leaders turn to us—to drive innovation and deliver unmatched capabilities.”
Translation: America’s top defense contractor doesn’t have time to play ideological games while building systems that protect the homeland and our allies.
The political implications are unavoidable. “There needs to be more of this,” the Trump-aligned source added. “The woke BS is dead, and any company that wants to do business with the government… should be a real meritocracy.”
That kind of plain-speak isn’t always welcome in elite C-suites—but it’s gaining traction. Especially when taxpayer dollars are on the line and public trust in institutions is being tested. The writing’s on the wall: tick-box diversity mandates may be on their way out, and performance might just be climbing back in the driver’s seat.
