Donald Trump is planning to sign an executive order that would remove 15,000 transgender troops from the US military.
At present, there are about 15,000 trans individuals in active service. They would be medically discharged, declaring them unfit to serve.
This move would also lead to a ban on transgender people joining the military. This comes as almost all branches of the army are struggling to meet recruitment targets.
Trump has previously hit out at “wokeness” in the forces, saying some officers were more worried about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) than planning military strategies.
Trump is planning to remove 15,000 transgender troops from the US military
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In the president-elect’s first term in office, he signed an order preventing trans people from joining the army, however he allowed those already serving to stay in their posts.
At that point in 2021, it was estimated there were 2,200 active duty people in the military suffering with gender dysphoria. This move was rescinded by Biden, however Trump’s new plans will see harsher measures.
A source familiar with Trump’s plan said: “These people will be forced out at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people. Only the Marine Corps is hitting its numbers for recruitment.”
The source added that some of the people affected by this new policy are in very senior positions. Certain officers will be removed after decades of service.
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Rachel Branaman, the executive director of Modern Military Association of American which campaigns for LGBTQ+ military personnel and veterans said:
“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 signalling vulnerability to America’s adversaries.”
She also mentioned the dropping recruitment numbers, and said this decision “adds administrative burdens to war fighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps.”
She said there would be financial loss and a loss of experienced leadership that would take decades to replace.
Trump could sign this order as soon as January 20
Reuters
Trump has also said the Pentagon cannot afford the cost of medical care for transgender troops, and said that focusing on an issue that affects only a small group of people in the army is “trans lunacy.”
Transgender analyst in the US Navy Paulo Batista said that this ban would cause chaos across the branches of the military. He also dismissed Trump’s arguments about trans healthcare.
He said: “There is no money being spent, it’s just continued care.”
“People enlisting are just slightly hormone deficient, but the bigger picture is how many other people are going to be affected. Kicking out the 15,000 would affect the whole fleet, the whole battalion. It’s everyone.”
Trump could sign this order as soon as January 20, his first day back in the White House.
This comes after Republicans have already begun to hit out at “wokeness” in the government, introducing a resolution that moves to prohibit members of the House from using “single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.”