• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ended the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) program.
• The program was initiated under President Trump to promote women's roles in security and conflict resolution.
• Hegseth criticized the program as a "woke" initiative influenced by the Biden administration.
• Key figures from Trump's Cabinet supported the original legislation, highlighting its bipartisan nature.
• The United Nations had noted the program's positive impact on civilian protection in conflict zones.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently announced the termination of the "Women, Peace and Security" (WPS) program, originally implemented during President Donald Trump's administration. In a post on X, Hegseth claimed that WPS was "yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops," asserting that such initiatives distract from the core military mission focused on war-fighting, according to The Hill, HuffPost, and Newsweek.

Hegseth's justification for dismantling the program suggests a belief that it had been distorted by the Biden administration, claiming troops "HATE it." The WPS program was initially a bipartisan effort endorsed by Trump's Cabinet and signed into law in 2017, designed to acknowledge and enhance the role of women in peace-building and conflict resolution, according to Reuters and India Times.

Key figures in Trump's administration, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were instrumental in crafting the WPS Act, with Rubio declaring it the first comprehensive law globally aimed at protecting women's rights in conflict, according to sources including The Hill, Newsweek, and HuffPost.

The United Nations has also highlighted the importance of such programs, noting their significant impact on improving the protection of civilians in conflict zones, indicating the broader implications of scrapping the WPS initiative as expressed by U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, according to Reuters and India Times.