US President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders that remove diversity, equity and inclusion from the military, reinstate thousands of troops who were kicked out for refusing COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, and one that appeared to be aimed at transgender troops.

Earlier on Monday, Pete Hegseth, who narrowly secured enough votes to become defence secretary, referred to the names of Confederate generals that were once used for two key bases during his remarks to reporters as he entered the Pentagon on his first full day on the job.

Trump signed the executive orders while flying back from Miami to Washington.

One of the executive orders signed by Trump was titled eliminating “gender radicalism in the military”.

It appeared to be a reference to transgender troops in the military but a text of the order was not immediately available.

During his first term, Trump announced that he would ban transgender troops from serving in the military. He did not fully follow through with that ban – his administration froze their recruitment while allowing serving personnel to remain.

Biden overturned the decision when he took office in 2021.

About 1.3 million active personnel serve in the military, Department of Defence data shows. Officials say the number of transgender service members is in the low thousands.

When Trump announced his first ban in 2017, he said the military needed to focus on “decisive and overwhelming victory” without being burdened by the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” of having transgender personnel.

Hegseth has promised to bring major changes to the Pentagon and he has made eliminating DEI from the military a top priority.

Reuters has previously reported about the possibility of mass firing among top brass, something Hegseth repeatedly refused to rule out during his confirmation process.

Hegseth referred to Fort Moore and Fort Liberty by their previous names, Fort Benning and Fort Bragg, while speaking with reporters.

They had been changed under former president Joe Biden as part of an effort to rechristen bases named for Confederate officers.

“I’m thinking about the guys and gals in Guam, Germany, Fort Benning and Fort Bragg,” Hegseth said.

Much of Hegseth’s focus at the Pentagon could be internal to the military, including making good on a Trump’s executive order on bringing back troops discharged for refusing COVID vaccines.

Thousands of service members were removed from the military after the Pentagon made the vaccine mandatory in 2021.