Pete Hegseth orders pause on trans surgeries for service members, recruitment of trans soldiers

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a memo directed the military to pause the integration of new transgender recruits to the military and pause medical procedures that had been scheduled for current service members for sex changes and other related procedures.

"The Department must ensure it is building 'One Force' without subgroups defined by anything other than ability or mission adherence," Hegseth wrote in a memo dated February 7. "Efforts to split our troops along lines of identity weaken our Force and make us vulnerable. Such efforts must not be tolerated or accommodated."

"As the President clearly stated in Executive Order 14183, 'Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,' January 27, 2025: 'Expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for Military Service," the memo, addressed to senior Pentagon leadership, commanders of the combatant commands and Defense agency and DoD field activity directors, continued. Hegseth wrote, "Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused."

A January 27 order signed by Trump stated that "Expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for Military Service," per The Hill. 

The memo was filed on Monday by the Department of Justice as part of a lawsuit challenging the order from Trump. Six transgender active duty service members and two seeking to enlist had requested that the DOJ notify them as to whether the administration had issued guidance on the implementation of the executive order. In addition to the Friday order, the DOJ identified memos from the Navy, Air Force, and Army directing recruiters to reject trns-identified applicants, and another memo from Hegseth dated January 31 directing the Department of Defense to move to implement Trump’s order.