The Pentagon of the US Department of Defense has directed the military to complete procedures by March 26 to identify members suffering from or undergoing treatment for gender dysphoria. The order is based on an executive directive issued by President Trump, which outlines measures to ban transgenders from military service. Once identified, the military will have 30 days to remove them from service.
In a Defense Department memo, Darin Selnick, Under Secretary of Defense, noted that individuals who currently have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria or who show symptoms consistent with it are considered incompatible with the high standards of military service due to medical and mental health restrictions.
A major issue with this process is that many transgender service members can be identified through medical records, which make up a small portion of the total active service members. This policy has become an important focus for the Pentagon under pressure from the Trump administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
According to Sarah Warbelow, vice president of legal affairs for the Human Rights Campaign, this policy puts service members in a difficult position, increasing social and professional pressure on transgender troops. When this happens, soldiers may have to choose between revealing their identity and the safety of their fellow soldiers, which is a sensitive issue.
According to US officials, there are about 600 identifiable transgender personnel in the Navy and between 300 and 500 in the Army.
