The military landscape is changing under the Trump administration.
A major policy shift has been announced that will affect thousands of service members.
And Pete Hegseth just made one military policy change that sent shockwaves through the Pentagon.
Defense Department issues guidance on separation of transgender service members
The Pentagon took its first major step in implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender individuals from serving in the military.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued guidance to military leaders across all branches on how to proceed with separating service members with gender dysphoria from the armed forces.
“As [President Donald J. Trump] stated in his January executive order, expressing a false gender identity divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” a senior defense official stated during a background conversation about the new guidance. “Therefore, the department is moving forward with implementing its guidance to separate individuals impacted by this policy, either through a voluntary or involuntary separation process.”
The Pentagon had already halted the acceptance of new transgender recruits. Now it’s moving forward with removing transgender individuals who are currently serving.
The Defense Department is urging transgender service members to voluntarily come forward by June 6 for active-duty personnel and July 7 for reservists to begin the separation process. Those who self-identify will be eligible for full separation benefits.
Transgender troops offered financial incentives to leave voluntarily
Service members who voluntarily self-identify as transgender will receive significantly higher separation pay than those who are involuntarily separated after the deadlines.
“The department encourages currently serving service members that are impacted by the policy to elect to do the voluntary identification and voluntary separation process, which may afford certain benefits not available to those who go through the involuntary separation process,” the defense official explained.
Using an example, the official noted that an E-5 service member with 10 years of service could receive as much as $101,000 in separation pay if they voluntarily come forward. Those same service members would only be eligible for half that amount if they are involuntarily discharged.
After the voluntary self-identification period expires, the military will begin involuntarily separating transgender service members through the Individual Medical Readiness Program.
“Individual medical readiness programs are long-standing programs and policies in the department; they are not new, [and] they are not tied specifically to the implementation of this policy,” the defense official said. “In response to the need to ensure that service members remain qualified and fit for duty, [the department has long] used incremental medical evaluations that are done periodically — traditionally in annual health screening and assessment.”
The Pentagon estimates that approximately 4,000 service members have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, though officials acknowledged that number may have changed due to accessions and departures since their last report.
Officials expect about 1,000 service members across all branches to voluntarily self-identify under the new policy.
Trump’s transgender ban returns after Biden lifted restrictions
President Trump’s executive order on transgender military service marked a return to a policy position he first took during his initial term in office.
In 2017, Trump announced via Twitter that transgender individuals would be banned from serving in the military “in any capacity.” That policy was challenged in court but was ultimately allowed to go into effect in 2019 after the Supreme Court lifted several injunctions.
President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s ban shortly after taking office in January 2021, allowing transgender individuals to again serve openly in the military and receive gender-affirming medical care.
The Pentagon had spent millions of dollars on medical care related to gender transition since the Biden policy took effect. Secretary Hegseth and other military leaders in the Trump administration argued that gender dysphoria and the medical treatments associated with it can interfere with military readiness and deployment availability.
Military leaders are now tasked with implementing the separations while maintaining operational readiness across the force as thousands of service members prepare to leave the ranks.
While supporters of the policy argue it will strengthen military readiness, critics contend it will force out qualified service members at a time when recruitment numbers are already falling short of targets.