The military will begin screening troops for gender dysphoria during routine checks of medical records, and those who exhibit symptoms will be administratively separated from the service, a senior Defense Department official said.
On Thursday, the Defense Department released a statement directing military commanders to begin the screening process, enforcing a ban President Trump imposed during the first week of his administration.
“The Department is moving forward with implementing the guidance to separate individuals impacted by this policy, either through a voluntary or involuntary separation process,” a senior Defense Department official told reporters.
Last week, the Pentagon announced a June 6 deadline for active-duty transgender troops who agree to leave the service of their own accord. Reserve and National Guard personnel with gender dysphoria will have another month to identify themselves and begin the separation process.
The Defense Department said about 4,200 military troops across the services have gender dysphoria. About 1,000 have already self-identified.
A Supreme Court ruling last week lifted a lower-court injunction and allowed the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender personnel.
The legal battle began with a Jan. 27 executive action that said the armed forces should focus on “developing the requisite warrior ethos” and that pursuing military excellence cannot be diluted to accommodate political agendas or anything harmful to unit cohesion.
“Expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” the White House order said.
“Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle,” it said.
The military will begin the separation process within 30 days after the service member self-identifies.
Although commanders will begin screening the medical records immediately, they won’t act until after the June 6 and July 7 deadlines.
“That’s because any service member impacted by the guidance still has the option to voluntarily identify by those deadlines,” the senior Defense Department official said.
“This is simply the military departments beginning the process to identify any additional service member who may elect not to identify themselves during the voluntary period,” the official explained.
Unit commanders will play a significant role in determining which of their personnel might be affected by the decision. The Pentagon has long granted commanders broad discretionary authority regarding their units’ personnel.
“They require empowerment to be effective at their duties. We rely on their qualification, discernment, and judgment,” the senior Defense Department official said. “We are confident and comfortable with commanders implementing the policy.”
SPARTA Pride, which advocates for transgender military personnel, said thousands of transgender troops are in the military and are fully qualified for the positions in which they serve.
“While the case continues to be argued, thousands of trans troops will be purged from the armed forces,” SPARTA Pride said in a statement. “They will lose their jobs. They will lose their commands, their promotions, their training, pay, and benefits, and time. Their units will lose key players; the mission will be disrupted. This is the very definition of irreparable harm.”
The Pentagon is grateful for the honorable service of military members who will be separated, both voluntarily and involuntarily, because of their gender dysphoria, the senior Defense Department official said.
“For each of us, there is a time when our service comes to an end,” said the senior defense official, an Army veteran. “For some people, that’s when they’re deemed not eligible to continue to serve.”
Separation pay will be available to service members who are forced out of the military because of gender dysphoria. The amount will be based on rank and time in service. For example, a sergeant with 10 years in the Army will receive about $51,000, and a captain who has been in uniform for seven years will get a $62,000 payment.
The military will double the separation pay for those who voluntarily identify as transgender, officials said.
Some lawmakers want to codify Mr. Trump’s executive order with legislative action.
On Wednesday, Rep. Barry Moore, Alabama Republican, introduced the Readiness Over Wokeness Act to reverse in legislation the Biden administration’s policy allowing transgender Americans to serve in the military.
The bill would prevent future presidents from reversing Mr. Trump’s order with the stroke of a pen.
“The American people deserve a fighting force that is capable and prepared at any moment to address and deter risks to our nation,” Mr. Moore said. “Serving in the military requires the ability to sustain high mental and physical standards. Transgender people have medical, surgical, and mental health concerns that limit their ability to sustain these standards.”
Pentagon officials doubt the administration’s transgender policy will hurt military recruiting. They said the latest numbers have been “stellar,” with each military service achieving its 2025 recruiting goals.
