Report reveals Trump plans to sack 15,000 transgender officers from U.S. military
Reports from the U.S. have indicated that Donald Trump, upon re-entering the White House, plans to issue an executive order aimed at removing transgender individuals from military service.
This action is expected to take place as soon as his inauguration day on January 20, 2025. The anticipated order would not only prevent new transgender recruits from joining the military but also lead to the discharge of approximately 15,000 current transgender service members.
During Trump’s first term, he implemented a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, which was justified by claims of “tremendous medical costs and disruption.”
This policy was enacted in 2019 after a period of uncertainty following his initial announcement in 2017. However, President Joe Biden reversed this ban shortly after taking office in January 2021, allowing transgender individuals to serve openly and receive necessary medical care.
The proposed reinstatement of the ban has significant implications for both personnel and military readiness. Experts and advocates have raised concerns that discharging thousands of service members could exacerbate existing recruitment challenges faced by the armed forces. In recent years, branches of the military have struggled to meet their recruitment goals; for instance, they fell short by approximately 41,000 recruits last year.
Rachel Branaman, executive director of the Modern Military Association of America, highlighted that abruptly removing over 15,000 service members would not only harm unit cohesion but also create administrative burdens and skill gaps within military units. The loss of experienced personnel could take decades and substantial financial resources to rectify.
The anticipated executive order is also likely to face legal challenges similar to those encountered during Trump’s previous attempts to implement such policies. The reversal of Biden’s order may provoke lawsuits from advocacy groups defending the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in the military.
Rachel Branaman, the executive director of the Modern Military Association of America, said that if a trans ban were implemented from day one of Trump’s administration, it would undermine the military’s readiness.
Ms Branaman, whose organisation campaigns on behalf of LGBTQ+ military personnel and veterans, also noted that it would create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis, not to mention signalling vulnerability to America’s adversaries.
“Abruptly discharging 15,000-plus service members, especially given that the military’s recruiting targets fell short by 41,000 recruits last year, adds administrative burdens to warfighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps.
“There would be a significant financial cost, as well as a loss of experience and leadership that will take possibly 20 years and billions of dollars to replace,” she added.
