*President-elect Donald Trump is preparing to take office on January 20, 2025, and reports suggest that one of his first actions upon returning to the White House will be to sign an executive order banning transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military.
According to The Times, Trump’s proposed executive order to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military would reverse President Biden’s repeal of his original 2017 policy. The new order could require the discharge of both current and veteran transgender service members, including those with decades of service. This move would impact an estimated 15,000 active-duty transgender personnel out of 1.3 million total service members.
Trump criticized “woke” DEI policies in the military, particularly targeting high-ranking officers who are hyperfocused on diversity and inclusion rather than on maintaining military readiness.
“These people will be forced out at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people,” an anonymous source told The Times. “Only the Marine Corps is hitting its numbers for recruitment and some people who will be affected are in very senior positions.”
Rachel Branaman, executive director of Modern Military Association of America, added, “Should a trans ban be implemented from day one of the Trump administration, it would undermine the readiness of the military and create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis, not to mention signaling vulnerability to America’s adversaries.”
Branaman continued, “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.”
“There would be a significant financial cost, as well as a loss of experience and leadership that will take possibly 20 years and billions of dollars to replace.”
Trump has nominated Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, 44, to run the Pentagon.
Hegseth, a former major in the U.S. National Guard, has also spoken of “trans lunacy” and slammed “weak” and “effeminate” leadership in the military.
According to reports, Hegseth asserted that “the next commander in chief will need to clean house.”
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