The announcement comes days after President Trump signed a memo barring transgender people from enlisting in the military while instructing Mattis to explore how to handle those currently serving in the armed forces.

"Once the panel reports its recommendations and following my consultation with the secretary of Homeland Security, I will provide my advice to the president concerning implementation of his policy direction," Mattis said in the statement Tuesday.

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

Trump announced in late July his plans to reverse an Obama-era policy that allowed transgender individuals to serve in the military.

“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 at the time.

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

Mattis indicated in his statement Tuesday that the Pentagon would move to implement Trump's directive, which sparked backlash among Democrats and some Republicans.

The Defense Department "will carry out the president's policy direction, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security. As directed, we will develop a study and implementation plan, which will contain the steps that will promote military readiness, lethality, and unit cohesion, with due regard for budgetary constraints and consistent with applicable law," Mattis said.

Mattis said he would establish "a panel of experts" from within the departments of Defense and Homeland Security to provide recommendations for implementing Trump's directive.

"Our focus must always be on what is best for the military's combat effectiveness leading to victory on the battlefield," he said.</s>CLOSE A new study indicates that the cost of discharging and replacing transgender people in the U.S. military will be steep. At a total cost of around $960 million dollars. Buzz60

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late Tuesday announced that transgender troops will be allowed to continue serving in the military pending the results of a study by experts.

The announcement follows an order from President Trump — first announced in a tweet — declaring that transgender service members can no longer serve in the military, effectively reversing an Obama administration policy. The order also affects the Department of Homeland Security, which houses the Coast Guard.

"Once the panel reports its recommendations and following my consultation with the secretary of Homeland Security, I will provide my advice to the president concerning implementation of his policy direction," Mattis said in the statement. "In the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place."

Mattis' move buys time for the Pentagon to determine how and if it will allow thousands of transgender troops to continue to serve, whether they will receive medical treatment, or how they will be discharged.

As Defense Secretary, Mattis has emphasized that he has little tolerance for policies that detract from military readiness or the Pentagon's effectiveness on the battlefield. At the last moment in June, he delayed the Pentagon's plan to accept new transgender troops. His reasoning: He demanded more study to determine the effect of recruiting them on the Pentagon's ability to fight and win wars.

Under the Obama administration, the Pentagon rescinded a longstanding ban on transgender troops from serving. It also outlined how those troops could receive medical treatment, including gender reassignment surgery, if it was deemed medically necessary.

Trump's order by tweet on July 26 caught the Pentagon by surprise. The tweets said there was no room in the ranks for transgender troops and that the government would no longer pay for their medical treatment.

CLOSE Here is a guide to understanding LGBT terms. Sara Snyder, USA TODAY

Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded by saying that the Pentagon would not change its policy until it was notified officially by the White House.

The president issued that notification Friday night. It directed Mattis to study the issue and determine how to implement Trump's direction. It was assailed by advocates for transgender troops who called it discriminatory, and the American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against it.

Last year, the Pentagon commissioned a study by the non-partisan RAND Corp. to examine the effects on military readiness of allowing transgender troops to serve openly and the cost of providing them medical treatment. The study estimated that a few to several thousand transgender troops are on the active duty force of 1.3 million. Researchers found that paying for their health care needs would amount to about $8 million per year and their effect on readiness would be negligible.

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Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2xLed98</s>Less than a week after President Trump signed an executive order formally banning transgender individuals from joining the military, Defense Secretary James Mattis announced that transgender troops could continue to serve pending the results of a study by experts in the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

“Once the panel reports its recommendations and following my consultation with the secretary of Homeland Security, I will provide my advice to the president concerning implementation of his policy direction,” Mattis said in a statement on Tuesday. “In the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place.”

Although it is being called a freeze on President Trump’s decision to ban transgender troops, Secretary Mattis’ announcement does not directly contradict any of the president’s orders. When Trump reversed the Obama-era proposal to allow transgender troops to serve in the military, he gave Mattis significant leeway in deciding whether or not active-duty transgender soldiers would be able to continue serving.

This is not the first time Secretary Mattis has delayed making a final decision on transgender troops by calling for further study. Under the Obama administration, then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced that transgender people could openly join and serve in the military starting on July 1st, 2017. But in June of this year, Secretary Mattis postponed the policy’s start date by six months, and called for more study on the impact of recruiting transgender individuals. Then, on July 26th, President Trump tweeted that he would be banning transgender individuals from the military, due in part to “tremendous medical costs.” (As a reminder, the Pentagon reportedly spends five times more on erectile dysfunction drugs than it does on transgender services.)

Mattis’ announcement impacts thousands of military men and women who can continue to serve for the time being, but remain uncertain about their future. According to a 2016 study by the RAND corporation, there are between 2,500 and 7,000 transgender troops on active duty. The study also found that paying for their healthcare would only amount to about $8 million a year, and the effect their presence would have on military readiness would be negligible.</s>Pentagon chief James Mattis says transgender troops may continue to serve for now

US Defense Secretary James Mattis has said transgender troops will remain in service until he advises US President Donald Trump on executing the ban. Several lawsuits have already been filed over Trump's directive....</s>WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late Tuesday announced that transgender troops will be allowed to continue serving in the military pending the results of a study by experts.

The announcement follows tweets and an order from President Trump that indicated transgender service members no longer had place in the military, effectively reversing an Obama administration policy. The order also affects the Department of Homeland Security, which houses the Coast Guard.

"Once the panel reports its recommendations and following my consultation with the secretary of Homeland Security, I will provide my advice to the president concerning implementation of his policy direction," Mattis said in the statement. "In the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place."

Mattis' move buys time for the Pentagon to determine how and if it will allow thousands of transgender troops to continue to serve, whether they will receive medical treatment, or how they will be discharged.

As Defense Secretary, Mattis has emphasized that he has little tolerance for policies that detract from military readiness or the Pentagon's effectiveness on the battlefield. At the last moment in June, he decided to delay the Pentagon's planned implementation of plans to accept transgender troops. His reasoning: he demanded more study to determine the effect of recruiting new, transgender troops on the Pentagon's ability to fight and win wars.

Under the Obama administration, the Pentagon rescinded a longstanding ban on transgender troops from serving. It also outlined how those troops could receive medical treatment, including gender reassignment surgery, if it was deemed medically necessary.

Trump's surprise order by tweet on July 26 caught the Pentagon by surprise. The tweets said there was no room in the ranks for transgender troops and that the government would no longer pay for their medical treatment.

Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded by saying that the Pentagon would not change its policy until it was notified officially by the White House.

That notification came on Friday night. It directed Mattis to study the issue and determine how to implement Trump's direction. It was assailed by advocates for transgender troops who called it discriminatory, and the American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against it.</s>The question of transgender troops’ role in the U.S. military is on hold until a panel of experts examines the issue, Defense Secretary James Mattis announced this week, and those already in the military will continue to serve in the meantime.

Mattis’ move, coming in the wake of a series of presidential tweets July 26 and formal announcement Aug. 25 barring transgender Americans from service, buys some time for the Pentagon to determine if transgender troops already in the military will be allowed to continue serving for the long term, what kind of medical treatment they will be eligible to receive or how they might be discharged.

“Once the panel reports its recommendations and following my consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, I will provide my advice to the president concerning implementation of his policy direction,” Mattis said in a Tuesday night statement. “In the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place.”

The primary concerns of the study will be promoting “military readiness, lethality, and unit cohesion,” and interim guidance will be released soon, said Mattis, himself a retired U.S Marine Corps combat veteran.

RARE POV: Here’s the real reason why President Trump’s transgender military ban is stupid and pointless

After President Barack Obama opened up Pentagon policy for recruiting transgender service members, his administration also commissioned a study by the non-partisan RAND Corp. to examine the effects on military readiness of allowing transgender troops to serve openly and the cost of providing them medical treatment. The 2016 study estimated that there were anywhere between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender troops already in the active duty force of 1.3 million.

The American Civil Liberties Union has already challenged President Donald Trump’s ban, filing a suit Monday in federal court in Maryland on behalf of six active-duty members of the military, the Washington Post reported.</s>Mattis Allows Transgender Troops To Serve During Review

Law360, Nashville (August 30, 2017, 1:58 PM EDT) -- Defense Secretary James Mattis announced late Tuesday that transgender troops will continue to be allowed to openly serve in the military for the time being, saying he will not fully implement President Donald Trump’s recent ban until a review panel completes its work and he has a chance to advise the president.



While the U.S. Department of Defense intends to carry out the policy direction set out in Trump’s Aug. 25 memorandum on military service by transgender people, it will first conduct a study and develop...

To view the full article, register now.</s>Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Tuesday that he will retain the current policy that allows transgender members of the military to continue to serve while his department figures out how to implement President Donald Trump’s order to ban them from service.

“In the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place,” Mattis said in a statement Tuesday evening.

On August 25, the president ordered the Department of Defense to reverse the decision made in 2016 under the Obama administration to allow transgender people to serve in the military, giving the Pentagon six months to come up with a plan for those who are currently serving.

RELATED VIDEO: President Trump: Transgender People Can’t Serve in U.S. Military in ‘Any Capacity’

Trump had announced via Twitter on July 26 that he would no longer allow transgender soldiers to serve in the military, arguing that the organization “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”

Mattis explained that he is following the President’s directive for an implementation plan, and will establish a panel of experts from the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, who will assess the situation and come up with recommendations, but that current policy will continue to remain in place during this assessment.

“The panel will assemble and thoroughly analyze all pertinent data, quantifiable and non-quantifiable,” he explained. After the panel has provided its recommendations, he said, he will advise the President on implementing this initiative.</s>The blogosphere and the media are all revved up over Mattis freezing President Trump’s military transgender policy. It makes total sense to me though. He did nothing to stop the ban on incoming candidates that are transgender – they will no longer be admitted. However, what Mattis does do is freeze what will happen to those currently serving while a study is conducted. Think of it as dotting the ‘i’s and crossing the ‘t’s before discharging them. That’s what it looks like is happening here to me. Mattis is not trying to get himself fired… he’s trying to protect the President’s mandate.

Mattis was given wide latitude on this issue just for this reason. He is a by-the-book military man. He doesn’t just jump before looking on issues. The media is exceedingly dishonest on this report. It makes it sound like Mattis is snubbing Trump and still letting transgenders into the military ranks. That’s not true as far as I know. As Defense Secretary Mattis has emphasized, he has little tolerance for policies that detract from military readiness or the Pentagon’s effectiveness on the battlefield. In June, he delayed the Pentagon’s plan to accept new transgender troops. He demanded more study to determine the effect of recruiting them on the Pentagon’s ability to fight and win wars. That’s what he’s doing here as well.

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late Tuesday announced that transgender troops will be allowed to continue serving in the military pending the results of a study by experts. 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know John Hawkins's book 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know is filled with lessons that newly minted adults need in order to get the most out of life. Gleaned from a lifetime of trial, error, and writing it down, Hawkins provides advice everyone can benefit from in short, digestible chapters. Buy Now The announcement follows an order from President Trump — first announced in a tweet — declaring that transgender service members can no longer serve in the military, effectively reversing an Obama administration policy. The order also affects the Department of Homeland Security, which houses the Coast Guard. “Once the panel reports its recommendations and following my consultation with the secretary of Homeland Security, I will provide my advice to the president concerning implementation of his policy direction,” Mattis said in the statement. “In the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place.” Mattis’ move buys time for the Pentagon to determine how and if it will allow thousands of transgender troops to continue to serve, whether they will receive medical treatment, or how they will be discharged.

Read the wording carefully here and sift out all the bull crap. I may be wrong, but I see nothing untoward here by Mattis. He’s still carrying out President Trump’s mandate. He’s just backing it up with studies and reports, so they can’t be bludgeoned over it later. Smart. In the end, I imagine transgender troops will be honorably discharged. Their surgeries are probably halted right now, but not their healthcare. Both sides are getting this one wrong.

The President issued the notification on this Friday night. It directed Mattis to study the issue and determine how to implement Trump’s direction. It was assailed by advocates for transgender troops who called it discriminatory and the American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against it. Mattis aims to head those objections off at the pass by doing what is needed here. I hate to break it to the left… this does not reverse President Trump’s mandate on transgenders in the military.</s>Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday that transgender service members will continue to serve in the military while the Pentagon conducts a study of how to implement President Trump’s directive that would ban transgender individuals from serving in the military. A memo signed by President Trump on Friday that reinstated the policy gave Mattis six months to come up with a plan to implement the ban.

In a statement released Tuesday night, Mattis said he would establish a panel of experts from within the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security “to provide advice and recommendations on the implementation of the president’s direction.”

“Panel members will bring mature experience, most notably in combat and deployed operations, and seasoned judgment to this task,” Mattis said. “The panel will assemble and thoroughly analyze all pertinent data, quantifiable and non-quantifiable.”

Mattis said he would provide his advice to President Trump on how to implement his policy after the panel came up with recommendations. “In the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place,” Mattis said.

The move temporarily leaves in place the policy that allows transgender service members to serve openly in the military until the panel concludes its study.

In late July, President Trump surprised Pentagon officials with tweets that stated his intent to reinstate the ban on transgender persons serving in the military that had been lifted in June 2016 by then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

On Friday, President Trump signed a memo that provided policy guidance to the Pentagon about the ban. It kept in place restrictions that do not allow openly transgender persons from joining the military and ended resourcing for gender reassignment surgeries, with the exception of those individuals whose procedures are already underway to protect the health of the individual.

The memo gave Mattis until February 21, 2018, to come up with an implementation plan for reinstating the ban on transgender persons in the military. It would also let him “determine how to address transgender individuals currently serving in the United States military. Until the secretary has made that determination, no action may be taken against such individuals under the policy” outlined in the memo.

The memo cited steps consistent with “military effectiveness and lethality,” “budgetary constraints” and “applicable law” for implementing the plan. But it also seemed to provide Mattis with flexibility in determining how to interpret those terms.

On Friday, a senior White House official declined to tell reporters what specific factors Mattis could use to determine the future of transgender service members who had been serving openly since the ban was overturned in 2016.

The Pentagon does not track how many transgender service members there are in the military, but about 250 service members were either transitioning genders or had changed their genders in personnel records.

A 2016 Rand study estimated there might be between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender service members on active duty.

In announcing the study, Mattis said, “Our focus must always be on what is best for the military’s combat effectiveness leading to victory on the battlefield.”

“I expect 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,” he added.
Defense Secretary James Mattis announces that transgender troops in the military will continue to serve pending the results of a study started in June to assess the Pentagon's ability to fight and win wars.