US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to bar transgender people from the military on Monday (Jan 27). This was one of the four orders he signed aboard Air Force One while travelling from Florida to Washington. The US president ordered the Pentagon to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes as well.
Also read: Trump advocates for border crackdown at House Republican Retreat, concluding first week in office
"To ensure we have the most lethal fighting force in the world, we will get transgender ideology the hell out of our military. It's going to be gone," Trump said while addressing a retreat with House Republicans.
Trump and his Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the directives as an effort to bring back the military to an unapologetically masculine professional culture.
Hegseth further blamed equitable hiring and staffing practices for the American military's lower standards and capacity for warfighting.
Also read: PM Modi to visit US in Feb, Trump says India ‘will do what's right’ on immigrants
The order further potentially banned soldiers who identify themselves as any gender other than the one assigned at birth, calling it a hurdle to the physical and mental well-being that is necessary for military service.
“Consistent with the military mission and longstanding DoD policy, expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” the order read.
“Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honourable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life," it said.
Also read: Trump says Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok, encourages bidding war
It said that when a man calls himself a woman and expects that others respect his "falsehood," this does not go with the requirement of "selfness" of a service member.
What will happen now?
As per the orders, no transgender soldier will be excluded from the service immediately. The Pentagon has been given 60 days to amend its policy and 30 more days to submit the revised guidance describing how the vision will be implemented.
Also read: Colombia averts trade war with US after agreeing to accept deported migrants
In other orders, Trump directed the Pentagon to reinstate military members who were discharged from the service after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. As many as 8,200 service members were discharged for refusing the vaccine.
(With inputs from agencies)