The Pentagon reportedly issued new guidance on Friday allowing transgender troops currently serving in the military to re-enlist in the coming months as the department weighs how to enforce President Trump’s broader ban on their service.
For now, transgender service members can continue to serve and receive medical care, Mattis said in the memo, a summary of which was obtained by the AP.
Trump announced in July on Twitter that he would reimplement a ban on transgender people serving in the military. A longstanding ban was lifted under the Obama administration last year.
In August, Trump issued a more formal directive instructing the Pentagon not to move forward with the plan to allow transgender people to join the military. That directive also gave Mattis six months to determine how to handle transgender individuals currently serving.
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