Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a deadline for troops to separate last week. (Allison Robbert/AFP/Getty Images)
Active-duty service members have until June 6, one month after the court’s ruling, to leave the military. Reservists have until July 7.
The development follows a Supreme Court order that allowed a previously blocked ban on transgender military service to move forward.
The Supreme Court’s decision effectively paused a lower court's injunction, clearing the way for the Defense Department to implement the policy. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the ruling allows the department to resume policies focused on "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added in that memo that those diagnosed with or showing symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria may choose to leave voluntarily. If they do not, they may face mandatory separation.
President Donald Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to remove transgender troops from the military. (Getty Images)
The Supreme Court did not rule on the underlying legal arguments but allowed President Donald Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order barring transgender individuals from military service to take effect.
A lower court had temporarily blocked the policy, but Trump administration officials argued that delaying its implementation could harm operational readiness.
Officials defending the policy have said it supports the military’s need for unit cohesion, readiness, discipline and cost efficiency.
Trump’s executive order also directed the Pentagon to revise its medical standards to emphasize combat preparedness and eliminate the use of gender identity-based pronouns within the department.
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The blanket ban on transgender individuals serving in the military had previously been lifted under President Barack Obama in 2014.
The latest policy shift comes as Pentagon leadership under Hegseth moves to dismantle most diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Last month, he stated that 99.9% of DEI-related policies had been removed. He also announced changes to fitness standards to ensure male and female troops are held to the same requirements for combat readiness.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pentagon-ceases-gender-transition-treatments-moves-boot-trans-troops