Trump to sign executive orders barring transgender individuals from military service

US President Donald Trump is set to sign two executive orders that will bar transgender individuals from serving in the military and eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs within the armed forces.

Previously, Trump had issued an order on his first day in office that reversed the 2021 policy under the Biden administration, which allowed transgender people to serve openly, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

However, these new executive orders will go even further, establishing military standards regarding pronouns and gender identity, and directly prohibiting the participation of thousands of transgender service members, citing concerns over mental and physical readiness.

Following Trump’s signature, the Department of Defense will be tasked with creating and enforcing the new policy.

“Unit cohesion requires high levels of integrity and stability among service members,” a White House document previewing the order on transgender soldiers reads. There can be “no accommodation for anything less than resilience, strength, and the ability to withstand extraordinary physical demands,” it says. 

“Individuals who are unable to meet these requirements are unable to serve in the military. This has been the case for decades,” the document says. “It can take a minimum of 12 months for an individual to complete treatments after transition surgery, which often involves the use of heavy narcotics. During this period, they are not physically capable of meeting military readiness requirements and require ongoing medical care. This is not conducive for deployment or other readiness requirements.” 

While there are no current official figures on the number of transgender service members in active or reserve duty, estimates from 2014 suggested the number could be as high as 15,500. In 2017, during his first term, Trump announced via Twitter that the US would no longer "accept or allow" transgender individuals to serve in the military. His administration moved to implement the ban in 2018, but it was reversed by the Biden administration’s 2021 executive order.

Additionally, according to the White House, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order to reinstate military personnel who were discharged for refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. 

"The Executive Order directs the Secretary of Defense to reinstate all members of the military [active and reserve] who were discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine and who request to be reinstated," according to the White House fact sheet. According to the fact sheet, service members who are reinstated will regain their previous rank and receive back pay and benefits. 

"From 2021 to 2023, the Biden Administration and former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discharged over 8,000 troops solely due to their COVID-19 vaccination status," the fact sheet notes. 

"After the vaccine mandate was repealed in 2023, only 43 of the more than the 8,000 troops dismissed elected to return to service under the Biden Administration and Secretary Austin."

Trump promised to take action during his inauguration speech. 

"This week I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the COVID vaccine mandate, with full back pay," the president declared during remarks on January 20. 

In a campaign speech last year, Trump vowed to reinstate service members who were discharged due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, offering them back pay and an apology from the government. Since his inauguration last week, the newly sworn-in president has been signing a series of executive orders.

By Naila Huseynova