The U.S. Army is following through on a directive from War Secretary Pete Hegseth to curtail its “frivolous” anonymous reporting programs.
Under the new rules, soldiers must identify themselves to Military Equal Opportunity officials when making a complaint, though their identities will remain confidential in most cases. The Army’s pending policy revision, first reported by Task & Purpose, is part of Hegseth’s broader effort to eliminate what he sees as unnecessary guardrails at the Pentagon.
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“The [Department of War] has equal opportunity programs for service members and civilians to report discrimination and harassment. That’s a good thing,” Hegseth explained in a 2025 video before he signed a memorandum ordering the changes. “But what’s not good is when these programs are weaponized. Some individuals use these programs in bad faith to retaliate against superiors or peers.”
Hegseth referred to the change as the “no more walking on eggshells” policy when he convened the military’s general and flag officers for a summit last year in Quantico, Virginia.
Hegseth added that racism and sexual harassment are “wrong and illegal” and that the Pentagon would “ruthlessly” enforce those infractions. “But telling someone to shave or get a haircut or to get in shape or to fix their uniform or to show up on time, to work hard, that’s exactly the kind of discrimination we want,” he continued.
Under the Army’s new policy, anonymous allegations claiming “prohibited discrimination or discriminatory harassment” are “no longer eligible” for processing and tracking by the Military Equal Opportunity program. Commanders can still act on anonymous information if it contains enough actionable detail to justify an investigation.
The revised policy applies to all Army personnel, including those in the National Guard and Army Reserve. It does not affect the sexual harassment, hazing, or bullying reporting processes, all of which the Army determined to be statutorily protected.
The Army’s change does, however, revise the military’s harassment definition to carve out “official military or governmental activities conducted in a professional manner,” such as basic training or physical education.
“Behavior that is rude, ignorant, abrasive, or unkind is not necessarily indicative of harassment but may constitute harassment depending on the totality of the circumstances,” the Army’s announcement reads.
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Hegseth has long criticized what he characterizes as policies that coddle soldiers. He boasted in the Quantico speech, for example, over his efforts to “restore” basic training to “what it should be, scary, tough and disciplined.”
“Yes, they can shark attack, they can toss bunks, they can swear, and yes, they can put their hands on recruits,” he said. “This does not mean they can be reckless or violate the law, but they can use tried and true methods to motivate new recruits, to make them the warriors they need to be. Back to basics at basic as well.”
