The Pentagon has issued a new directive that will lead to the immediate removal of up to 1,000 openly transgender service members from the military. Others will be given 30 days to self-identify, after which the Department of Defense will begin reviewing medical records to identify those who have not come forward.

This move follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that allowed the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, lifting an earlier block by a lower court. Although the exact number of transgender personnel is unclear, the Defense Department plans to use medical records to identify individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria, showing symptoms of the condition, or receiving treatment for it. These individuals would then be discharged involuntarily.

President Trump signed an executive order reinstating the ban after his second inauguration. The Pentagon responded by halting the enlistment of transgender individuals and initiating discharges of those already serving. This policy mirrors a previous ban implemented during Trump's first term, which was also upheld by the Supreme Court in 2019 before being reversed by President Biden after he took office.

Rather than banning all transgender service members, the current policy disqualifies those with gender dysphoria—a condition marked by a significant mismatch between one’s gender identity and assigned sex at birth. The Pentagon estimates that roughly 0.2% of military personnel are affected. The ban has been legally challenged by transgender service members, including Navy pilot Emily Schilling, who argued it violates constitutional protections. The government has defended the policy by claiming it targets a medical condition rather than transgender identity itself.

However, Judge Benjamin Settle of Washington state rejected that rationale, describing the policy as an outright ban on transgender service. He temporarily blocked its enforcement, pointing out that transgender personnel had served openly for years without issue. Settle argued the distinction between banning those with gender dysphoria and transgender individuals was negligible and defied common sense. His decision was later appealed by the administration and brought before the Supreme Court after the Ninth Circuit declined to intervene.