The U.S. Army announced on Friday that it is prohibiting transgender individuals from enlisting and is reducing the roles available for those already serving. “The #USArmy will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members,” the Army said in a statement.
“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused,” the statement said. The Army said that those suffering from gender dysphoria who have served the United States “will be treated with dignity and respect.”
The announcement follows last week’s statement from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who revealed that he had met with the heads of the military academies and informed them that divisive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives would no longer be permitted in the U.S. military.
“Last week, I met with the leadership of @westpoint_USMA, @navalacademy and @af_academy,” he said. “My message was simple: stick to leadership, standards, excellence, war fighting, and readiness. These are MILITARY ACADEMIES, not civilian universities.” He added: “I was impressed by the changes already underway and look forward to visiting each institution. Social Justice and DEI are OUT; History, Engineering, and War Studies are IN. We must restore the warrior ethos to the @deptofdefense — and it starts with our future leaders.”
Late last month, Hegseth announced the revocation of retired Army Gen. Mark Milley’s personal security detail and security clearance. Additionally, Hegseth directed the new acting Inspector General to convene a review board to assess whether sufficient evidence exists to strip Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, of a star in retirement due to his alleged actions to “undermine the chain of command” during President Donald Trump’s first term, officials said.
The Pentagon is also moving to remove a second portrait of Milley, currently displayed in the Army’s Marshall Corridor on the third floor, which honors his service as Chief of Staff of the Army. Fox News reported exclusively that this removal could take place as soon as Tuesday evening, meaning there will no longer be any portraits of Milley inside the Pentagon.
The first portrait of Milley, which honored his tenure as the U.S. military’s top officer, was removed from the Pentagon on Inauguration Day—less than two hours after President Trump was sworn into office. The now-retired Milley, along with other former senior Trump administration officials, had been assigned personal security details following Iran’s vow of revenge for the 2020 drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani—an operation ordered by Trump during his first term.
Perhaps at issue is a pair of phone calls Milley secretly made to his Chinese counterpart in the waning days of the first Trump administration. According to Reuters, “Milley called General Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army on Oct. 30, 2020 – four days before the election – and again on Jan. 8, two days after Trump supporters” were involved in the riot at the U.S. Capitol Building — both without the rightful commander-in-chief’s knowledge or permission, according to his own congressional testimony.
“He allegedly told the Chinese general that the ‘American government is stable’ and reassured Gen Li that the US would not attack. If they did so, the Chinese would be warned first,” the BBC added, which Trump described after learning about the calls in the Bob Woodward book, “War,” as straight-up treason. He also called reports that he was “unstable” after his election loss and that he had considered a nuclear strike on China “fake news.”