Trump reinstates vaccine-refusing soldiers, limits transgender roles
The President of the USA, Donald Trump, signed a series of executive orders on Monday. He reinstated thousands of soldiers who were removed for refusing COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic. He also imposed limitations on the presence of transgender individuals in the military.
Trump signed the orders while flying from Miami to Washington. One of the orders states that expressing a gender identity different from the one assigned at birth does not meet military standards.
An end to "imaginary" pronouns
The order prohibits the use of "imaginary" pronouns, as his entourage describes, in the military. However, it does not address crucial issues, such as whether transgender individuals currently serving will be allowed to stay in service, and if not, how they will be discharged.
Trump's plans have been met with harsh criticism from human rights advocacy groups, which argue that his actions are unlawful.
During his first term, Trump announced his intention to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military. However, he did not fully implement this ban—his administration froze the recruitment of transgender individuals while allowing those already serving to remain. Biden reversed this decision upon taking office in 2021.
According to Department of Defense data, the military consists of about 1.3 million active-duty members. While transgender rights advocates estimate that as many as 15,000 transgender individuals serve in the military, officials report the number is only a few thousand.
Programs promoting inclusivity and diversity, known as DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), which the White House describes as discriminatory, are also set to be eliminated.
Soldiers returning to service. They will receive back pay
Another order reinstates military members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Data provided by various branches of the armed forces indicate that approximately 8,200 soldiers were discharged for refusing to comply with the vaccination mandate introduced by the Pentagon.
According to the new Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, these soldiers are to be restored to their previous ranks and receive back pay.
The coronavirus vaccination mandate was removed in 2023, and as noted by the AP agency, only 43 of the 8,000 discharged soldiers have returned to service.
Trump also signed an order mandating the construction of a "next-generation missile defence system" to protect the USA from advanced missiles.
source: PAP / AP / CNN
