Pentagon Unveils Plan to Execute Trump Order Banning Trans People From Military

The US Defense Department has received and will begin to carry out President Donald Trump’s directive to review policy that includes prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in the military, according to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Defense Department has received and will begin to carry out President Donald Trump’s directive to review policy that includes prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in the military, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a press release.

"The Department of Defense has received the Presidential Memorandum, dated August 25, 2017, entitled ‘Military Service by Transgender Individuals,’" the release said on Tuesday. "The department will carry out the president's policy direction, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security."

Experts within the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security will make up a panel that will provide recommendations on the implementation of Trump’s proposed policy, the release stated.

Mattis and the Homeland Security Secretary will review the panel’s recommendations on the policy direction before submitting the findings to Trump, according to the Pentagon.

The panel will be made up of members experienced in combat and deployment operations, the release stated. The members will review all relevant data, the release added.

For now, military policy remains the same for current members of the US military, the release stated.