According to two White House officials who spoke to CNN, US President Donald Trump is anticipated to sign four executive orders that would transform the military. These orders would prohibit transgender service members from joining the US military, dismantle the military’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, and reinstate back pay for service members who were released for refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Recall that in his first few hours in office, Trump on January 20 withdrew an executive order signed by former President Biden in 2021 that prohibited the military from releasing soldiers based solely on their gender identification and permitted transgender individuals to serve. Additionally, Trump issued a broad executive order that only recognized male and female genders.
Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed secretary of defense, informed reporters that “more executive orders coming” shortly after his arrival at the Pentagon on Monday.
“As the secretary of defense, it is an honor to salute wisely as I did as a junior officer and now as the secretary of defense to ensure these orders are complied with quickly, Hegseth stated.
“Today, there are more executive orders coming on removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out due to Covid mandates, iron dome for America, this is happening quickly.”
According to the fact sheet, Monday’s executive order makes the case that permitting transgender individuals to serve openly in the military has weakened military readiness and “unit cohesion,” a defense that has long been used to bar members of marginalized communities, such as women and Black and gay Americans, from enlisting.
Additionally, transgender women are forbidden from “using or sharing sleeping, changing, or bathing in facilities designated for females,” according to the decree, which was first published by the New York Post.