On Donald Trump’s first day in the White House, a presidential order could be signed that will force 15,000 people to leave their positions in the US military.
Donald Trump is planning a presidential order that would lead to the removal of all transgender members of the US military, defence sources say.
The order could come on his first day back in the White House, 20 January. There are believed to be around 15,000 active-duty soldiers who are transgender. They would be discharged for medical reasons, which would establish that they are unfit to serve, according to The Times.
It would also lead to a ban on transgender people joining the military, and it would come at a time when almost all branches of the US military are failing to meet recruitment targets.
One of the main reasons transgender people want to join the military is so they can fund all the costly surgeries and medications they need to change their gender identity. Some of the medication also causes the soldiers to pass the permitted level of intoxication compared to soldiers who are not actually confused about their own gender.
Trump has railed against woke practices in the military, saying that some high-ranking officers are often more interested in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) than increasing combat capability. The previous chief of defence, Mark Milley, gained notoriety when he said he worried about his white rage.
Trump also banned transgender people from enlisting in the military during his last term, but that time he allowed transgender people who had already enlisted to remain in uniform. Now he wants to clean house: All transgender people are out.
Biden changed the rules when he took over. But now it’s Trump who makes the decisions for the next four years.
Some point to the recruitment problems of the U.S. Army in particular.
– These people will be forced out at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people, says a source with knowledge of Trump’s plans.
– Only the Marine Corps has met its recruitment goals, and some of those who will be affected are in very senior positions.
Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Rachel Levine is an admiral, but he was given that uniform because of his civilian achievements, not for honourable conduct in war. The US is unlikely to lose combat capability if Levine has to swap her uniform for a dress.
Military charities that fought against the transgender ban during Trump’s first term are aware that the incoming administration has plans for a similar measure.
– If a transgender ban is instituted from day one of the Trump administration, it would undermine the military’s readiness and create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis, not to mention signal vulnerability to America’s adversaries, says Rachel Branaman.
Branaman is the executive director of the Modern Military Association of America, which advocates on behalf of military personnel and veterans who are LGBTQ+.
– Abruptly discharging more than 15,000 service members, especially given that the military’s recruiting goals were undermet by 41,000 recruits last year, places administrative burdens on warfighting units, damages unit cohesion and exacerbates critical skills gaps.
– There will be significant economic costs, as well as a loss of experience and leadership that will take 20 years and billions of dollars to replace.
Trump has named Pete Hegseth as the new Secretary of Defence. Hegseth has been a vocal critic of what he calls a weak and feminised defence, claiming in a recent book that “the next commander-in-chief must clean house.”
Hegseth has also said that medical treatment for transgender people is an extravagance the Pentagon can’t afford, and that focusing on issues that only affect a small number of people in the military is an example of “trans madness”.
As a 96 percent Norwegian of true viking blood, Hegseth have been an outspoken critics of what he calls a weak, feminised military.
Trump and Hegseth are ready for war – against woke.
