Lockheed Martin removes DEI from website, says it will not have Affirmative Action goals
Lockheed Martin has taken down a webpage dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The move follows executive orders issued by President Donald Trump in his first few days back in the White House that roll back DEI initiatives for the federal government and its contractors.
The webpage for “global diversity and inclusion” had been accessible as late as Dec. 12.
“Diversity and inclusion are the foundation of our culture, and reflect our values of doing what’s right, respecting others and performing with excellence,” the page read at the time.
Lockheed Martin builds the F-35 at its plant in west Fort Worth. The company says the program supports more than 43,000 direct and indirect jobs and $8.9 billion in annual economic impact in Texas. In November, Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon reached an initial agreement to build more F-35s.
The Star-Telegram reached out to Lockheed in mid-December seeking more information about its DEI initiatives. In a follow up email on Dec. 20, the Star-Telegram reached out for comment on its position on the federal government scaling back or cutting entirely DEI initiatives for federal defense contractors and what that would mean for the company but did not receive a reply.
After the Star-Telegram reached out on Jan. 23 for comment, Lockheed Martin posted a statement on its website.
“Since our founding, Lockheed Martin’s mission has been to design and deliver superior weapons systems and security solutions to American and allied forces to deter armed conflict or win a war if necessary,” the statement reads. ”Merit-based talent management programs and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and directives have always been central to this mission. We are taking immediate action to ensure continued compliance and full alignment with President Trump’s recent executive order. We will not have goals or incentives based on demographic representation or Affirmative Action Plans. Additionally, our training offerings are compliant with Executive Order 13950 from President Trump’s first administration. We will continue to help America and its allies achieve peace through strength by recruiting, retaining and promoting the best aerospace and defense talent in the world, with the only criteria being merit and performance.”
Trump issued a Jan. 20 executive order calling for “the termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”
Trump also ordered that in the next 60 days the Director of the Office of Personnel Management be given a list of “federal contractors who have provided DEI training or DEI training materials to agency or department employees.”
A Jan. 21 executive order rolls back several past executive orders related to diversity, equity and inclusion, including one dating to 1965 that bars federal contractors from discriminating based on “race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.”
The order also states that federal contracts and grants must stipulate that the recipient “does not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.”
Longstanding federal civil rights laws protect Americans from discrimination and are a “bedrock supporting equality of opportunity for all Americans,” the Jan. 21 order reads.
“As President, I have a solemn duty to ensure that these laws are enforced for the benefit of all Americans,” it continues. “Yet today, roughly 60 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, critical and influential institutions of American society, including the Federal Government, major corporations, financial institutions, the medical industry, large commercial airlines, law enforcement agencies, and institutions of higher education have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) that can violate the civil-rights laws of this Nation.”
The Lockheed’s Global Diversity and Inclusion webpage included information about inclusion councils, business resource groups and employee networks, as well as a “2022 Global Diversity & Inclusion” report and an employer information report that is required by the federal government. The employer information report can still be found on Lockheed’s website.
The website also included accolades from several magazines and organizations for being an inclusive workplace.
Lockheed previously disputed a report that Trump told a top company official he plans to cancel an F-35 contract over its DEI policies.
The future of the F-35’s military contract became a discussion point after billionaire Elon Musk advocated for stopping the program that he called “the worst military value for money in history.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 2:45 PM.
