Pentagon deletes key awareness, historical articles amid review Holocaust, 9/11 articles among purged content

The Pentagon has undertaken a large-scale removal of materials from its online platforms, prompting widespread concerns about historical preservation and public awareness.

This extensive purge involves the deletion or flagging of over 24,000 articles across more than 1,000 Department of Defense (DoD) websites, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The move follows a directive from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to eliminate diversity-related content, but the deletions have extended far beyond that scope, affecting materials on topics such as the Holocaust, September 11, cancer awareness, sexual assault, and suicide prevention.

The purge includes content from the Pentagon’s Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) as well as a variety of DoD-affiliated websites. According to a database obtained by CNN, many of these materials have already been removed, raising questions about the breadth of the initiative. A memo issued last month formalised the DoD’s intent to remove materials related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), but an analysis of the deleted content suggests that non-DEI materials have also been affected.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot defended the process, stating that any unintended removals would be corrected, ensuring that service members’ contributions were properly recognised. However, evidence gathered via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine suggests that significant historical content has already been erased.

Among the most concerning deletions are Holocaust-related articles, including a piece on survivor Kitty Saks and another titled “A Cadet’s Perspective: Holocaust Days of Remembrance.” The removal of these materials has drawn criticism, with Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, stressing that Holocaust remembrance is a moral and educational necessity.

Other affected content includes reflections on the September 11 attacks from military personnel, breast and colon cancer awareness articles, and resources for sexual assault and suicide prevention. Some of these articles were penned by high-ranking military officials, including an Air Force Surgeon General.

Many deletions appear to have been executed through an automated script, leading to unintended “collateral damage,” according to a defense official. In response to growing concerns, another official confirmed that the Pentagon is now conducting a review to determine whether certain articles should be reinstated, though the process is expected to take longer than initially planned.

The Pentagon’s sweeping content removal has ignited debate over the balance between policy enforcement and historical preservation, raising concerns about access to vital educational and awareness materials within military archives.

By Aghakazim Guliyev