WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will provide his recommendation to President Donald Trump on transgender individuals and military service sometime this week, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

In September, the Pentagon said it had created a panel of senior officials to study how to implement a directive by Trump to prohibit transgender individuals from serving. The Defense Department had a self imposed deadline of Feb. 21 to submit a plan to Trump.

“This is a complex issue and the secretary is taking his time to consider the information he has been given,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told reporters.