Pentagon chief implements Trump’s ban on transgender troops

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has promised to treat current service members with “dignity and respect”

The Pentagon has announced an immediate ban on transgender individuals joining the US military and has halted all gender transition-related medical procedures for current service members, according to a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The policy change follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January, which criticized “radical gender ideology” as detrimental to the core mission of the US military.

“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 stated in a memo dated February 7 and released on Monday.

The Pentagon has said that current transgender service members will continue to be “treated with dignity and respect” and that further guidelines will be provided as the policy is implemented.

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The policy change is expected to affect only a small portion of the approximately 1.3 million active-duty personnel in the US military. Advocacy groups estimate that up to 15,000 transgender individuals are currently serving, though official figures suggest the number is much lower, according to Reuters.

Last week, Hegseth, a former Fox News host and US National Guard veteran, spoke out against diversity initiatives in the armed forces, calling the phrase ‘diversity is our strength’ the “dumbest” in military history. He also moved to eliminate the Pentagon’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, arguing that these initiatives are divisive. Additionally, he halted identity month celebrations, including Black History Month and Women’s History Month.

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“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 first banned transgender people from serving in the US military in 2017. Former President Joe Biden repealed the ban shortly after taking office in 2021, only for Trump to reinstate it in his second term.

Hegseth’s memo was revealed by the Department of Justice as part of a lawsuit challenging Trump’s executive order.