Executive Orders: What They Are, How They Work, and the Trump Orders Affecting the Military Since January 2025

What an Executive Order Is, Legally

An executive order is a written directive issued by the President to officers and agencies within the executive branch, instructing them on how to carry out existing law or exercise authorities already vested in the presidency. Executive orders do not create new law, appropriate funds, or override statutes enacted by Congress, but instead operate within the boundaries of Article II of the Constitution and any authority Congress has delegated to the executive.

Most executive orders rely on one or more legal bases: the President’s constitutional powers, statutory delegations from Congress, or the President’s authority to supervise the faithful execution of the laws. Courts evaluate executive orders against those sources of authority when their legality is challenged.

How Executive Orders Work in Practice

Executive orders follow a standardized process. Drafts are typically developed within the White House in coordination with affected agencies, reviewed for legality and form by the Office of Legal Counsel, signed by the President, and transmitted to the Office of the Federal Register for publication. Publication provides official notice and makes the order clear and citable for agencies, courts, and the public.

Once published, implementation shifts to the agencies named in the order. Many executive orders require agencies to issue follow-on guidance, revise regulations, or submit reports within specified deadlines. While executive orders carry the force of law within the executive branch, they remain vulnerable to judicial review and can be amended or revoked by a later President.

Why Executive Orders Matter for the Military

Executive orders have particular significance for the military because Congress has historically delegated broad discretion to the President in matters of national defense, force management, and command authority. As a result, executive orders can rapidly shape personnel standards, readiness policies, acquisition priorities, and internal Department of Defense governance even in the absence of new legislation.

For service members, the practical impact of an executive order often depends less on the text itself and more on how the Department of Defense implements it through instructions, memoranda, and service-level guidance.

Trump Executive Orders Affecting the Military Since January 2025

Since returning to office in January 2025, President Trump has issued several executive orders that directly affect the Armed Forces, the Department of Defense, or military-adjacent national security policy.

Force Standards, Readiness, and Internal Policy

On January 27, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” directing the Department of Defense to revise policies concerning medical standards, readiness requirements, and personnel eligibility, including policies related to gender dysphoria.

That same day, the President signed “Restoring America’s Fighting Force,” which instructs the Department of Defense to revise training and institutional practices that the order characterizes as inconsistent with combat readiness and mission focus, including directives concerning internal education and ideological instruction.

Earlier, on January 20, 2025, President Trump signed “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” an order that applies across the federal government and explicitly references the military, directing agencies to terminate specified diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and related contracting or personnel practices.

Domestic Mission Framing and Territorial Integrity

On January 20, 2025, President Trump also signed “Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States,” which articulates the administration’s interpretation of the President’s authority to employ the Armed Forces in support of territorial integrity and border-related missions. While the order does not itself deploy forces, it establishes a legal and policy framework that informs future tasking and interagency coordination.

Defense Acquisition and the Industrial Base

On April 9, 2025, President Trump issued “Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base,” directing reforms intended to accelerate procurement timelines, expand nontraditional contracting pathways, and strengthen domestic defense manufacturing capacity. The order instructs the Department of Defense to revise acquisition policies and workforce practices to emphasize speed and flexibility.

Organizational Identity and Institutional Signaling

On September 5, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring the United States Department of War,” establishing “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Department of Defense and directing executive branch implementation of the designation while calling for congressional action to make the change permanent. While largely symbolic, the order has practical implications for official nomenclature and public-facing materials.

Military Space and National Security Policy

On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed “Ensuring American Space Superiority,” which sets out an administration-wide space policy emphasizing national security priorities and American dominance in space. Because the Department of Defense and the Space Force play central roles in national security space operations, the order carries implications for military planning, procurement, and interagency coordination.

What This Means for Service Members

Executive orders often shape military policy before Congress acts or courts weigh in. For service members, the real effects typically emerge through the Department of Defense implementing guidance that alters eligibility standards, training requirements, procurement priorities, or mission tasking. Understanding executive orders, therefore, requires tracking not only what the President signs, but how the Pentagon translates those directives into binding policy.