Pentagon moves to allow transgender troops to serve openly

Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday declared an end to Pentagon restrictions on transgender troops, adding another milestone to President Barack Obama’s legacy of ushering in major social change in the military.

The move is expected to draw little opposition on Capitol Hill, where few lawmakers spoke out against Carter’s announcement a year ago that the Pentagon would study the issue with an eye toward ending its longstanding ban on transgender service members, who until now have had to live with the possibility of being medically discharged.


“Americans who want to serve and can meet our standards should be afforded the opportunity to compete to do so,” Carter said at the Pentagon. “Effective immediately, transgender Americans may serve openly, and they can no longer be discharged or otherwise separated from the military just for being transgender.”

The Pentagon doesn’t keep statistics on the number of transgender troops currently serving, but a 2014 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA estimated that “15,500 transgender individuals are serving on active duty or in the Guard or Reserve forces.”

Carter, in his remarks, cited RAND Corporation research estimating that 2,500 of the military’s approximately 1.3 million active-duty service members are transgender, plus about 1,500 of the 825,000 reservists. RAND, he said, concluded in its study of the issue there would be “minimal readiness impacts from allowing transgender service members to serve openly.”

The repeal of the ban will require new policies to be put in place in stages over a year. Starting today, transgender service members will not be at risk of being medically discharged just for that reason, but the military won't begin accepting transgender recruits until the 12-month process is complete.

In 90 days, Carter said, the Pentagon will issue a guidebook to military commanders on transgender issues, along with medical guidance to doctors for providing transition-related care if needed.

“Our military treatment facilities will begin providing transgender servicemembers with all medically necessary care based on that medical guidance,” Carter said.

Later, a senior defense official explained that could include surgery if a doctor deems surgery medically necessary. In addition, Carter said, “Service members will be able to initiate the process to officially change their gender in our personnel management systems.”

After that, over the next nine months, the military service branches will begin training service members on transgender issues.

“When the training is complete,” Carter said, “no later than one year from today, the military services will begin accessing transgender individuals who meet all standards — holding them to the same physical and mental fitness standards as everyone else who wants to join the military.”

Someone transitioning from male to female who's taking female hormones would be required to meet female standards, and vice versa, according to a senior defense official.

Carter said his one-year timeline was adjusted after receiving feedback from Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford and other top military commanders.

Dunford was not with Carter on Thursday when he made the announcement, just as Dunford chose not to accompany Carter during his December announcement that all combat jobs would be opened to women.

The new policies were outlined in a fact sheet released Thursday.

The ending of the ban will cement Obama’s legacy of putting a major progressive stamp on the Pentagon.

Since taking office, the president has also ended the ban on gays serving openly and opened all combat jobs to women. In addition, Congress is now giving serious consideration to a change Obama never asked for: requiring women to register for the draft.

“With the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and the elimination of the combat exclusion rule on women, today’s historic step to end transgender discrimination completes the Obama administration’s successful effort to strengthen our armed forces by ensuring that service is based on people’s merit and not their personal identity," said Aaron Belkin, who directs the Palm Center and has written extensively on the issue.

In Congress, some Republicans said they’re wary of Carter’s decision.

House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry has said Carter had “put the political agenda of a departing administration ahead of the military's readiness crisis,” knocking the Pentagon for failing to respond to a list of questions about the implications of lifting the transgender ban.

"Over the next few weeks, we are going to continue to push for actual answers to the readiness questions we’ve been asking for nearly a year to which we have still not received a response," the Texas Republican said in a statement. "We will also be looking at legislative options to address the readiness issues associated with this new policy."

And Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he was withholding judgment on the issue until the military service chiefs have a chance to testify before his panel.

“We’re going to have to have hearings on it with their military leadership to get their views,” McCain told POLITICO. “I’ve been told that there is concern on the part of our military leadership about implementation. But I don’t know that for a fact. That’s why we need to have hearings to determine.”

Democrats, meanwhile, said they were in favor of the move.

“I think the goal should be to use every military member to the best of their capabilities, to contribute to the unit, and I presume that’s the objective or the criteria that the secretary is using,” said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Added Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.): “If someone is willing to serve, and they’re capable of serving and physically able to serve, we should welcome their service regardless of their orientation.”

