A new executive order bars individuals with gender dysphoria from military service.
President Trump issued an executive order removing what he terms “radical gender ideology” from the US military.
The order, titled ‘Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness’, issued Monday, is part of a broader effort to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government.
The order emphasizes military service should be limited to those deemed physically and mentally fit. It prioritizes troop readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity.
The order explicitly states that its policy is incompatible with the medical and mental health considerations for individuals with gender dysphoria, and also with non-gender-conforming pronoun usage.
Newly appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, recently confirmed by the Senate, is charged with implementing this directive. He must revise military medical standards within 60 days to reflect the order’s stipulations.
He will also develop and submit a comprehensive strategy to address these issues to President Trump within the next month.
Secretary Hegseth stated in a message to the armed forces on Saturday that the US will focus on “restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.”
This executive order is one of several actions taken by President Trump to dismantle DEI programs within the federal government.
On his first day in office, he reversed protections for transgender individuals and ended DEI initiatives, characterizing these actions as ending attempts to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”