The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pentagon leaders say transgender people can continue to serve in the military for now, a day after Trump said they would no longer be welcome,
Military awaits direction from defense secretary.
WASHINGTON — Unmoved by President Donald Trump’s proclamation-by-Twitter, top Pentagon leaders declared on Thursday they’ll allow transgender troops to remain in uniform until Defense Secretary Jim Mattis receives an authoritative directive to remove them.
For now, “there will be no modifications” to current policy, Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an internal memo to all military service chiefs, commanders and enlisted leaders. That was despite Trump’s announcement Wednesday on Twitter that he will not “accept or allow” transgender people to serve in the U.S. military.
By late Thursday, the Pentagon still had nothing more to go on than the tweets, a highly irregular circumstance that put Mattis and others in the chain of command in a position of awkward unease, if not paralysis.
But social conservatives applauded Trump’s tweets, they drew quick, sometimes scathing criticism from many lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, as well as many military members and retirees. Protesters demonstrated in several cities as well as outside the White House.
Dunford began his memo to the nation’s military leaders: “I know there are questions about yesterday’s announcement.” He said nothing would change until the president’s direction had been received and developed by Mattis into written “implementation guidance.”
“In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect,” Dunford wrote. “As importantly, given the current fight and the challenges we face, we will all remain focused on accomplishing our assigned missions.” That last statement appeared to reflect a concern that confusion over Trump’s tweets might distract troops, who are engaged in dangerous operations around the world, including the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said guidance on how to “fully implement this policy” is still to be worked out. Asked whether Trump realized he could not change the transgender service policy via Twitter, Sanders said, “I think he was making the announcement of the policy change,” even though no specifics had been worked out.
Mattis has been on vacation this week and has been publicly silent. Sanders has said Trump informed Mattis of his decision after he made it Tuesday. It was Trump’s judgment, she said, that transgender individuals are an unacceptable cost and distraction for the military and should not be allowed.
Dunford was not aware Trump was going to announce the ban, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The top Air Force officer, Gen. David Goldfein, sent a note internally to his entire force Thursday citing Dunford’s memo and saying he and Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson “emphasize that all airmen will be treated with dignity and respect as we work through the poten- tial policy changes” coming from the White House.
Gen. Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, made similar points during a speech at the National Press Club.
“I have yet to receive implementation guidance” from Mattis, Milley said. “We’ll act when we receive directives through the proper chain-of-command channels.”
Until then, nothing will change, he added, citing the Dunford memo.
Trump’s announcement caught the Pentagon flatfooted in a way rarely seen in the recent history of civil-military relations. The Pentagon has not released data on the transgender people currently serving, but a Rand Corp. study has estimated they number between 1,320 and 6,630 of the 1.3 million active-duty troops.
Trump wrote that he had consulted with “my generals and military experts” before making his announcement, but the White House has not identified them and none have come forward.
Just last week, when asked about the transgender issue at a Senate hearing, Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, “I am an advocate of every qualified person who can meet the physical standards to serve in our uniformed services to be able to do so.”
Transgender service members have been able to serve openly since 2016 — a policy applied only to those already in uniform. The Obama administration began a review of the costs and benefits of allowing transgender individuals to enlist, and less than a month ago Mattis extended that review for another six months. There had been no presumption