On Monday, Hegseth released the letter in compliance with the executive order signed by President Trump that effectively bans transgender people from joining the military.
JUST IN - U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth has issued a memo which essentially stops individuals with gender dysphoria from joining the military and stopped gender transition surgery for all troops. pic.twitter.com/IyQSuxB0B9
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 10, 2025
"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," Hegseth wrote.
"The Department must ensure it is building 'One Force' without subgroups defined by anything other than ability or mission adherence. Efforts to split our troops along the lines of identity weaken our Force and make us vulnerable. Such efforts must not be tolerated or accommodated," Hegseth wrote in a memorandum for senior Pentagon leadership, commanders of the combatant commands and Defense agency and DoD field activity directors dated Friday and unreported until now.
The one-page memo is the latest step in implementing Trump’s order barring transgender people from serving openly in the military.
The Jan. 27 order, titled "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness," states, "Expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for Military Service."
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed the memo as part of a lawsuit challenging Trump’s order. The plaintiffs in that case, six transgender active-duty service members and two individuals seeking to enlist in the military, had requested the department notify them whenever the administration issued guidance on implementing the executive order.
Read the original article on The Hill.
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