US DoD to Provide New Guidance on Transgender Servicemembers After Trump's Tweet

The US Department of Defense will work closely with the White House with respect to a new guidance for transgender servicemembers and will unveil it soon, Pentagon spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump announced in a Twitter message that his administration would not allow transgender people to serve in the US military in any capacity.

"We will continue to work closely with the White House to address the new guidance," Davis told reporters. "We will provide revised guidance to the department in the near future on that."

Davis explained the transgender policy announcement was a "product of consultations" between the White House and the Defense Department.

In June 2016, the Defense Department ended the practice of banning transgender individuals serving openly in the US military or discharging such individuals based solely on their status.

Then-Defense Secretary Ashton Carter gave the military branch commanders one year — until July 1, 2017 — to determine how to recruit transgender people and make subsequent changes in training.

On June 30, Defense Secretary James Mattis ordered the recruitment of transgender applicants to be delayed for six months.