Pentagon chief enforces Trump’s ban on transgender military personnel
The Pentagon has declared a prohibition on transgender individuals enlisting in the US military and has ceased all gender transition procedures. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has committed to treating current service members with “dignity and respect.”
The Pentagon has instituted an immediate ban on the enlistment of transgender individuals in the US military and has suspended all gender transition-related medical procedures for active service members, as detailed in a memo signed by Hegseth.
This policy shift stems from an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January, which denounced “radical gender ideology” as harmful to the US military's principal mission.
“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for service members are paused,” stated Hegseth in a memo dated February 7 and made public on Monday.
The Pentagon has affirmed that current transgender service members will continue to be “treated with dignity and respect” and indicated that additional guidelines will be provided as the policy is rolled out.
The change in policy is expected to impact only a small fraction of the roughly 1.3 million active-duty personnel in the US military. Advocacy organizations estimate that up to 15,000 transgender individuals are serving at present, while official statistics suggest a significantly lower number, as reported by Reuters.
Earlier last week, Hegseth, a former Fox News host and US National Guard veteran, criticized diversity initiatives within the armed forces, labeling the phrase ‘diversity is our strength’ as the “dumbest” in military history. He also advocated for the elimination of Pentagon’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, claiming these efforts are divisive, and halted celebrations for identity months, such as Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
“In this department, we will treat everyone equally,” Hegseth told Pentagon staff on Friday. “We will treat everyone with fairness. We will treat everyone with respect, and we will judge you as an individual – by your merit and by your commitment to the team and the mission.”
Trump initially banned transgender individuals from serving in the military in 2017. Former President Joe Biden reversed that ban shortly after assuming office in 2021, only for Trump to reinstate it during his second term.
Hegseth’s memo surfaced through the Department of Justice as part of a legal challenge to Trump’s executive order.
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
The Pentagon has instituted an immediate ban on the enlistment of transgender individuals in the US military and has suspended all gender transition-related medical procedures for active service members, as detailed in a memo signed by Hegseth.
This policy shift stems from an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January, which denounced “radical gender ideology” as harmful to the US military's principal mission.
“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for service members are paused,” stated Hegseth in a memo dated February 7 and made public on Monday.
The Pentagon has affirmed that current transgender service members will continue to be “treated with dignity and respect” and indicated that additional guidelines will be provided as the policy is rolled out.
The change in policy is expected to impact only a small fraction of the roughly 1.3 million active-duty personnel in the US military. Advocacy organizations estimate that up to 15,000 transgender individuals are serving at present, while official statistics suggest a significantly lower number, as reported by Reuters.
Earlier last week, Hegseth, a former Fox News host and US National Guard veteran, criticized diversity initiatives within the armed forces, labeling the phrase ‘diversity is our strength’ as the “dumbest” in military history. He also advocated for the elimination of Pentagon’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, claiming these efforts are divisive, and halted celebrations for identity months, such as Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
“In this department, we will treat everyone equally,” Hegseth told Pentagon staff on Friday. “We will treat everyone with fairness. We will treat everyone with respect, and we will judge you as an individual – by your merit and by your commitment to the team and the mission.”
Trump initially banned transgender individuals from serving in the military in 2017. Former President Joe Biden reversed that ban shortly after assuming office in 2021, only for Trump to reinstate it during his second term.
Hegseth’s memo surfaced through the Department of Justice as part of a legal challenge to Trump’s executive order.
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
