PENTAGON ‘ FLAT- FOOTED’

Military won’t take transgender troops ‘ in any capacity,’ he tweets

President Trump said Wednesday that the U. S. military will not accept transgender troops in its ranks or allow them to serve in any capacity, triggering intense criticism from lawmakers and civil libertarians.

In a series of morning tweets, Trump said that after consulting “with my generals and military experts,” he decided the government “will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U. S. Military.”

The U. S. military, he said, “must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the mili-

tary would entail.”

Trump’s decision was made Tuesday, and he informed Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Wednesday. The policy allowing transgender troops to serve, which began under President Obama’s administration, was “expensive and disruptive” and affected military readiness, she said.

Democrats disagreed. Rep. Adam Smith, D- Wash., ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, called Trump’s announcement “an unwarranted and disgraceful attack on men and women who have been bravely serving their country.”

It’s unclear how Trump’s tweets will affect the estimated 6,000 transgender troops in the military. Under the policy announced in July 2016, those troops were allowed to serve openly. Before that, the military discharged them for medical reasons.

It’s uncertain whether a series of tweets constitute a presidential directive and whether Trump must sign documents to make the new policy effective.

After the tweets, the Pentagon issued a statement saying that it would work with the White House “to address the new guidance.”

Brad Carson, the former chief of Pentagon personnel issues and an architect of the Obama- era policy, said Trump’s sudden announcement appeared to catch the Pentagon “flat- footed,” and he predicted the renewed ban will be challenged in court.

“This will be devastating to those service members, but it will also hurt national security, as we have transgender people in many mission- critical occupations,” Carson told USA TODAY.

Joshua Block, a lead attorney on the issue with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the group will mount a legal challenge.