US defense chief freezes Trump's transgender ban

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Defense Secretary James Mattis said Tuesday that transgender troops could continue serving in the military while a study is conducted on President Donald Trump’s order to bar them from serving in the armed forces.

Mattis confirmed he has received the president's direction but said he would establish a panel of experts from the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security to study the implementation of Trump’s directive.

"Our focus must always be on what is best for the military’s combat effectiveness leading to victory on the battlefield," Mattis said in a statement. "The panel will assemble and thoroughly analyze all pertinent data, quantifiable and non-quantifiable."

"In the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place," he said.

The announcement shortly follows Trump's directive to renew a ban on recruiting transgender people into the military.

He initially moved in July to prevent transgender people from serving in the military, turning back the Obama administration's policy reversal of a longstanding ban.

"After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military," Trump tweeted on July 26.

"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender (people) in the military would entail."

Many at the Pentagon appeared blindsided by the announcement.

At the time, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford said the Pentagon would not immediately implement the ban, adding "we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect".

While Trump asserted in his decision that transgender service members saddle the Pentagon with "tremendous medical costs," the Rand Corporation estimated in a Pentagon-commissioned study that those costs would amount to between $2.4 million and $8.4 million annually.

To put that in perspective, the U.S. military spends $41.6 million annually on Viagra, an erectile-dysfunction medication, according to the Military Times.

Mattis said he will issue his advice to the president on the ban after the panel issues its recommendations.

He said he expects "to issue interim guidance to the force concerning the president’s direction, including any necessary interim adjustments to procedures, to ensure the continued combat readiness of the force until our final policy on this subject is issued."