Trump signs decrees on the armed forces, including the prohibition that they serve transgender soldiers

CNN
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President Donald Trump announced Monday that he had signed four decrees that will remodel the Armed Forces, including the prohibition that transgender members provide service in the US armed forces, the dismantling of diversity, equity, inclusion programs (inclusion (inclusion (inclusion (inclusion (inclusion (inclusion (inclusion (inclusion (inclusion DEI) and the reinstatement of the service members who were discharged for refusing to vaccinate against the COVID-19 with retroactive payment, as two officials of the White House of Trump have told CNN.

Trump said he signed the decrees while he was aboard Air Force One on a flight back to Washington from Florida. CNN previously reported that Trump was expected to do it, according to two White House officials.

The decrees, which were initially disclosed by The New York Post, arrive after Trump’s candidate to direct the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, swore as Secretary of Defense on Saturday. Hegseth has declared many opportunities that he planned to implement important cultural changes in the Armed Forces, including the end of Dei programs and the dismissal of the members of the military service.

Moments after his arrival at the Pentagon this Monday, Hegseth told journalists that there are “more decrees on the way”

“Today, there are more decrees that come… about the elimination of DEI within the Pentagon, the reinstatement of soldiers that were expelled due to the mandates of COVID-19, the iron dome for the United States: this is happening quickly, and as secretary Of defense, it is an honor to greet intelligently as I did as a subaltern officer and now as Secretary of Defense to ensure that these orders are fulfilled and quickly, ”said Hegseth.

Trump had prohibited transgender people from serving in the country’s armed forces in 2017 during his first administration, but in 2021 the then President Joe Biden issued a decree repealing the prohibition.

Hours after swearing for his second term last week, Trump signed a decree that revoked the measure adopted by the Biden Administration in 2021 to allow the service to the transgender members. However, the order that Trump signed on Monday goes further, said one of the officials, as new military standards with respect to gender pronouns and declares that mental and physical preparation requires that the entry into the forces be prohibited Armed to the transgender members of the military service.

“An individual may take a minimum of 12 months to complete the treatments after a transition operation, which often implies the use of heavy narcotics. During this period, they are not physically able to meet military preparation requirements and require continuous medical care. This is not conducive to deployment or other preparation requirements, ”said one of the officials, citing an informative sheet.

“The implementation (of the ban) is in the Department of Defense regarding the specific details,” said the official. In 2018, it was estimated that there were 14,000 transgender members of the service in the US armed forces, according to Palm Center, an independent research institute that has carried out extensive research on sexual minorities in the Armed Forces.

A Pentagon memorandum detailing the prohibition during Trump’s first mandate recommended making exceptions for the transgender members of the service that they already served in uniform and that had joined the armed forces under previous policies before the prohibition went into force; those who do not require a gender change; and those who had been “stable for 36 consecutive months in their biological sex before access.”

It is not clear if the new prohibition of the government will also have exceptions. When asked about possible exceptions on Monday, Hegseth only said that there will be a decree about that “right now, today (Monday).”

A second decree establishes that all “discriminatory” policies related to the DEI in the Armed Forces will be prohibited. The decree was issued after the Trump administration ordered that the employees of all federal offices of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility be placed on a paid administrative license “with immediate effect”.

New Secretary of Defense exposes the priorities of the Pentagon

New Secretary of Defense exposes the priorities of the Pentagon

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All of Dei’s practices in the US armed forces will also be subject to an internal review by Hegseth.

The third decree orders Hegesh to return to all members of the active and reserve service that were previously discharged because they have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. They will be reincorporated with their previous range and their salary and backward benefits will be returned, said one of the officials.

However, the Pentagon had already terminated the Military Mandate for Vaccination against COVID-19, allowing them to return after Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Law of 2023 that demanded change. Until Monday, 113 of the more than 8,000 members of the US Armed Forces who were discharged for refusing to vaccinate have tried to do so since the vaccination mandate was officially repealed.

And a Cuart Decree would begin the process of creating an anti -mile shield of “next generation” for the United States, according to an information sheet on the order obtained by CNN.

The order asks for an “iron dome” for the US, taking the name of the famous Israeli System of Defense Defense of short -range antimiles that has been used for years to intercept releases from Gaza. The United States financed with billions of dollars the “iron dome”, and by US armed armeds have their own system.

“The decree orders the implementation of a new generation antimile defense shield for the United States against ballistic, hypersonic missile ”, Although none of these types of weapons have been launched against the territory of the United States in a modern war.

The United States Armed Forces also have the capacity to deploy an air defense system, from long -range patriot missiles, which have demonstrated their efficacy in the interception of ballistic and cruise missile Stinger missiles thrown from the shoulder.

This new decree requires a series of advanced systems based on space to detect and knock down releases against the United States.

It does not say how much the shield would cost or outline a calendar for its development.

Editor’s note: This article was updated with more details and background information.