Transgender recruitment in US military delayed by six months

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Transgender recruitment in US military delayed by six months

Associated Press
Saturday 1 July 2017 03.58 BST

Defense secretary Jim Mattis is giving the military another six months to conduct a review to determine if allowing transgender individuals to enlist in the armed services will affect its “readiness and lethality”.

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said Mattis made the decision on Friday. The delay in allowing the enlistment of new recruits does not affect transgender troops who are already serving openly in the military.

Mattis said in a memo obtained by The Associated Press: “After consulting with the service chiefs and secretaries, I have determined that it is necessary to defer the start of accessions for six months. We will use this additional time to evaluate more carefully the impact of such accessions on readiness and lethality.”

In the memo, Mattis said he believed the department must measure “each policy decision against one standard” — whether it affects the readiness of the military to defend the nation.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/01/transgender-recruitment-in-us-military-delayed-by-six-months

[Odoreida]

1. Follow up -- Retired generals to Mattis: Don't delay accepting transgender recruits

Retired generals to Mattis: Don't delay accepting transgender recruits
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/336716-retired-generals-to-mattis-dont-delay-accepting-transgender-recruits
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A trio of retired generals is urging Defense Secretary James Mattis not to delay accepting transgender recruits into the military after reports that the Pentagon chief was considering such a move.

“Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has stated that he will make personnel decisions based on evidence about what best promotes force readiness,” retired Army Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, retired Army Major Gen. Gale Pollock and retired Army Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender wrote in a statement provided to The Hill.

“If he is serious about that commitment, he will maintain existing policy and make clear that there will be no return to the days of forcing capable applicants to lie in order to serve their country," they said.

Transgender troops already in the military have been able to serve openly since then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter lifted the ban in June 2016. But under the policy Carter crafted, transgender recruits haven’t been allowed to enlist pending the end of a one-year implementation period.

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