Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell provided the following statement:
From day one, our overriding objectives have been clear: restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence. In 100 Days, the Department of Defense and our warfighters have delivered historic victories for the American people. Here are our first 100 days milestones:
Record-Breaking Recruiting
- Since Nov. 5, 2024, the U.S. military has seen the highest recruiting percentage of mission achieved in 30 years.
Securing the Southwest Border
- Approximately 11,900 troops are currently deployed protecting the southwest border.
- Border crossings are down 99.99% due to DoD and DHS joint interagency collaboration to secure the southwest border, compared to the first 100 days of the Biden administration.
- DoD has supported 19 transfer flights to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and 34 removal flights, with approximately 2,300 illegal aliens removed from the continental U.S.
- Established the New Mexico National Defense Area – allowing criminal illegal migrants to be apprehended by U.S. troops, transferred to appropriate civilian law enforcement, referred to the Justice Department, and prosecuted.
- In just three days, JTF-Southern Guard stood up operations to support the temporary holding of over 450 illegal aliens at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, including over 270 high-threat illegal aliens.
- From a previous baseline of 85 Mobile Surveillance Capable (MSC) sites, Active Duty service members have dramatically increased sites, now manning approximately 170 MSCs and monitoring approximately 28 Remote Video Surveillance Sites.
- Since March 20, 2025, when the Secretary of Defense authorized enhanced detection and monitoring, JTF-SB has conducted more than 300 patrols, including joint patrols with Customs and Border Protection agents.
- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS Gravely (DDG 107) are actively supporting southwest border operations at sea (Gulf of America and Pacific Ocean) in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard.
- On April 22,2025, USS Stockdale (DDG 106) intercepted nine migrants in the Pacific Ocean.
- Rapidly deployed U.S. Marines to improve over 16 miles of barriers along the southwest border, temporary emplacing triple-strand Concertina wire and repairing existing barriers.
- Conducted over 260 UH-72 helicopter flights for aerial detection and monitoring. Prior to Jan. 20, these National Guard helicopters were only being used for training.
- Flown over 190 airborne ISR sorties supporting this mission. Platforms include P-8s, U-2s, RC-135s, MQ-1s, and RQ-4s.
DEI Dead at DoD
- Created the "Restore America's Fighting Force" Task Force to oversee the Department's efforts to abolish DEI and implement merit-based, color-blind policies.
- Returned Fort Bragg and Fort Benning to their "historic names" – now in honor of Army Private First-Class Roland L. Bragg and Army Corporal Fred G. Benning.
- Prohibited DoD resources from being used to host celebrations of events related to cultural awareness months.
- Eliminated jobs focused primarily on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Removed DEI content and so-called "climate change" signage from DoD websites, DoD social media, and DoD installations.
Refocused our Military on Warfighting
- Awarded NGAD F-47 contract, the world's FIRST 6th Generation aircraft, ensuring American air superiority.
- Submitted Golden Dome for America plans to the President in line with the executive order.
- Welcomed back former Service members involuntarily discharged for their COVID-19 vaccination status.
- Directed the Military Services to develop comprehensive plans to distinguish combat arms occupations from non-combat arms occupations.
- Initiated a rapid force-wide review of military standards pertaining to physical fitness, body composition, and grooming so the U.S. military remains the most lethal and effective fighting force in the world.
- The Department issued policy guidance on the removal of service members with gender dysphoria.
DOGE Efforts
- Found nearly $6 billion potential savings for reinvestment within the Department of Defense.
- Methodically reduced our workforce to optimize the Pentagon for our warfighters.
- Shifted $50 billion of Biden-era funds from woke initiatives to lethality.
- Eradicated so-called "climate change" initiatives and cancelled contracts for consulting firms and COVID-19 response equipment.
Reoriented the Pentagon toward Emerging Threats in the Indo-Pacific
- Secured numerous bilateral agreements with the Philippines to reestablish military deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
- Initiated phase one of upgrading U.S. Forces Japan to a joint force headquarters to deepen operational cooperation and deter Chinese Communist Party aggression.
Operation Rough Rider Successfully Degrades Houthi Capabilities
- Conducting intense and sustained operations targeting Houthi terrorists in Yemen to restore freedom of navigation and American deterrence, which began March 15, 2025.
- Increased military presence in the Middle East by deploying additional air assets and the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike group to the U.S. Central Command Area of Operations, augmenting existing fighter aircraft and the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group.
- USCENTCOM strikes have hit over 1,000 targets, killing Houthi fighters and leaders, including senior Houthi missile and UAV officials, and degrading their capabilities.
Took Back the Panama Canal from China
- Signed a Memorandum of Understanding to reestablish U.S. military presence in Panama and secured a framework for "First and Free" canal passage for U.S. military vessels.
- Continued the Trump Administration's work to eradicate malign Chinese Communist Party influence from Panama and the Panama Canal.
European Ownership of European Security
- Shifted the Ukraine Defense Contact Group from a U.S.-led effort to a European-led effort.
- Encouraged European nations to spend 5% of GDP on defense, which resulted in British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing the biggest increase in UK defense spending since the end of the Cold War.
Unbreakable Bonds between the United States and Allies
- Held bilateral meetings with defense officials from Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, El Salvador, France, and met with NATO.
- Authorized the release of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel on Jan. 25, 2025 – a munition that had been withheld by the previous administration.
Targeting and Eliminating Terrorist Threats
- Deferred operational decision making to combatant commanders to find and prosecute terrorist targets who would do harm to Americans and our allies and partners.
- U.S. Africa Command forces partnered with the government of Somalia and its forces to target and destroy al Shabaab, ISIS-Somalia and other terrorist networks, dealing devastating losses to enemy combatants, including senior leadership.
Returned Accountability to the DOD
- Pledged to conduct a review into the previous administration's disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.
Military-Crewed SpaceX Flight
- Worked with NASA and SpaceX to bring retired Navy Captains Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore home after the previous administration abandoned them in space.