Trump plans to expel trans soldiers from the military – Times
US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly poised to implement a ban on transgender individuals from serving in the US military, as reported by The Times, which cites defense sources. Read Full Article at RT.com.
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The move could reportedly affect thousands of personnel
US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly planning to prohibit transgender individuals from serving in the US military, according to a Monday report by The Times that cites defense sources. The proposal involves Trump signing an executive order soon after taking office, which would remove transgender personnel currently serving and prevent any future enlistments of such individuals.
Approximately 15,000 active service members in the US are openly transgender. Those affected by the plan would be discharged on medical grounds, classified as unfit for duty based on their gender identity. However, it remains unclear if they will be required to undergo any evaluations to confirm their trans status.
This legislation is viewed as an intensified version of a prior ban initiated by Trump during his first administration. In 2018, he prohibited openly transgender individuals from entering the military but permitted those already in service to remain. At that time, Trump asserted he had consulted military experts and determined that transgender individuals should not serve in “any capacity,” citing “tremendous medical costs” associated with their service, particularly regarding expensive hormone treatments.
The ban was overturned by outgoing President Joe Biden in 2021.
Expected to support this new measure is Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. The former Fox News host and US National Guard veteran recently authored a book titled ‘The War on Warriors,’ in which he criticized the US military for adopting what he termed woke ideology, suggesting it has become “effeminate” through the promotion of diversity and inclusion. He also urged the next commander-in-chief to “clean house” and emphasized that medical care for transgender service members imposes excessive financial burdens on the Pentagon.
Various sources contend that the timing of the potential ban poses challenges for the US military, which is currently facing recruiting difficulties.
“Abruptly discharging 15,000-plus service members, especially given that the military’s recruiting targets fell short by 41,000 recruits last year, adds administrative burdens to war fighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps,” Rachel Branaman, head of the Modern Military Association of America, stated. She added that the loss of experience from the ban could take around 20 years and billions of dollars to replace.
Paulo Batista, an openly transgender analyst in the US Navy, also cautioned against the ban, indicating that it would disrupt operations throughout the military.
“You take 15,000 of us out – that’s 15,000 leadership positions, every one of us play a vital role… You pull one of us out, that means others have to cover. These jobs could take months or even years to fill,” he informed the news outlet.
Trump’s spokesman declined to comment on the report.
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly planning to prohibit transgender individuals from serving in the US military, according to a Monday report by The Times that cites defense sources. The proposal involves Trump signing an executive order soon after taking office, which would remove transgender personnel currently serving and prevent any future enlistments of such individuals.
Approximately 15,000 active service members in the US are openly transgender. Those affected by the plan would be discharged on medical grounds, classified as unfit for duty based on their gender identity. However, it remains unclear if they will be required to undergo any evaluations to confirm their trans status.
This legislation is viewed as an intensified version of a prior ban initiated by Trump during his first administration. In 2018, he prohibited openly transgender individuals from entering the military but permitted those already in service to remain. At that time, Trump asserted he had consulted military experts and determined that transgender individuals should not serve in “any capacity,” citing “tremendous medical costs” associated with their service, particularly regarding expensive hormone treatments.
The ban was overturned by outgoing President Joe Biden in 2021.
Expected to support this new measure is Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. The former Fox News host and US National Guard veteran recently authored a book titled ‘The War on Warriors,’ in which he criticized the US military for adopting what he termed woke ideology, suggesting it has become “effeminate” through the promotion of diversity and inclusion. He also urged the next commander-in-chief to “clean house” and emphasized that medical care for transgender service members imposes excessive financial burdens on the Pentagon.
Various sources contend that the timing of the potential ban poses challenges for the US military, which is currently facing recruiting difficulties.
“Abruptly discharging 15,000-plus service members, especially given that the military’s recruiting targets fell short by 41,000 recruits last year, adds administrative burdens to war fighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps,” Rachel Branaman, head of the Modern Military Association of America, stated. She added that the loss of experience from the ban could take around 20 years and billions of dollars to replace.
Paulo Batista, an openly transgender analyst in the US Navy, also cautioned against the ban, indicating that it would disrupt operations throughout the military.
“You take 15,000 of us out – that’s 15,000 leadership positions, every one of us play a vital role… You pull one of us out, that means others have to cover. These jobs could take months or even years to fill,” he informed the news outlet.
Trump’s spokesman declined to comment on the report.
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
