A top military official has said there will be “no
modification” to the military's transgender policy after President Donald Trump
announced a ban on transgender service via Twitter.
"There
will be no modifications to the current policy until the President's direction
has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued
implementation guidance," General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, wrote in a message to military leaders.
He
added: "In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel
with respect.”
Mr
Trump sparked outcry on Wednesday when he tweeted that the US government would
not “accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the
U.S. Military”.
The
announcement seemed to take the Pentagon by surprise, despite Mr Trump’s claims
that he consulted with “generals and military experts”. Sources said that many
at the Pentagon watched Mr Trump’s tweets roll out in suspense, fearing he was
preparing to announce military action against North Korea. The Pentagon
directed all requests for comment to the White House.
General
Mark Milley, the chief of staff of the US Army, said on Thursday he had no
advance knowledge of Mr Trump's decision. He added that was not unusual.
"I
personally did not, but nor would I have expected to," Milley said while
speaking at the National Press Club.
At
a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders
said the White House had not determined what would happen to the more than
2,500 transgender people serving on active duty in the US military.
“Implementation
policy is going to be something that the White House and the Department of
Defense have to work together to lawfully determine,” she said, adding that the
Department of Defense would “keep you posted as that takes place”.
Pressed
for more detail on the policy, Ms Huckabee Sanders threatened to shut the press
briefing down.
Mr
Trump’s decision ends an Obama-era policy that sought to fully integrate the
military by June of 2017. The policy was to be rolled out in waves, first
allowing current transgender service members to serve openly and receive
medical care.
The
Trump administration was in the process of considering the final wave –
allowing new transgender recruits to enlist – when Mr Trump made his
announcement.
Defense
Secretary James Mattis was troubled by the surprise announcement, according to
Politico. Sources said he felt no need to rush to a decision, and was awaiting
the results of an extensive Defense Department policy review. He had recently
requested six more months to consider the roll-out.
Tony
Johnson, a national security researcher and former Pentagon adviser, predicted
the decision would not go over well with the larger military community, either.
“This
is a complex issue for the uniformed services, and it is a complex and
difficult issue for the policy makers,” he told The Independent. “But it should
be said that in my experience, all those people have been dedicated to the
principles and values that the US purports to have, and [purports] to defend
across the world.”
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