The days of woke social experiments in the military are over. A new Pentagon memo, dated Wednesday, orders the removal of all transgender and gender dysphoric servicemembers from the United States Armed Forces. This move, aimed at restoring military readiness and prioritizing excellence, comes as no surprise under President Trump’s leadership.
The memo, titled “Additional Guidance on Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” lays it out clearly—military service requires physical and mental toughness, and gender dysphoria, along with the medical, surgical, and mental health complications that come with it, are simply incompatible with the rigorous standards of the U.S. military. In short, the military is no longer a playground for radical gender ideology.
Trump is taking direct aim at the damage done during the Biden years, where the Pentagon became more obsessed with pronouns and gender theory than with winning wars. According to the new Defense Department policy, anyone diagnosed with gender dysphoria or exhibiting symptoms is no longer eligible to serve. Those who have undergone hormone therapy or gender reassignment surgeries are also disqualified, though rare exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
A full report identifying all transgender servicemembers is due by March 26, and those individuals will be removed from duty while receiving any legally required benefits. Trump’s administration is making it abundantly clear—the U.S. military is not a social experiment, and it will no longer cater to activist demands that weaken its core mission.
Trump’s ban on transgender troops is nothing new—he put a similar policy in place during his first term, only for Biden to recklessly undo it in the name of political correctness. But now, sanity is being restored. Trump recently signed an executive order stating that the Armed Forces had been “afflicted with radical gender ideology” and that this nonsense “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.”
And let’s be clear—this isn’t just about transgenderism. The same order bans individuals suffering from bipolar disorder, eating disorders, suicidality, or prior psychiatric hospitalizations, all of which pose clear risks to unit cohesion and mission readiness. The message is simple: the military is for warriors, not activists.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been leading the charge in eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) nonsense from the Department of Defense. At a Pentagon town hall event earlier this month, he delivered a brutal takedown of the left’s favorite mantra: “The single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength.’”
He didn’t stop there. “I think our strength is our unity. Our strength is our shared purpose.”
Exactly. The military exists to fight and win wars, not to cater to the identity politics of the radical left. Trump and Hegseth are bringing back a warrior culture, not a woke one.
With this memo, Trump is keeping one of his biggest campaign promises—to cleanse the military of leftist ideology and restore it as the world’s most elite fighting force.
The days of rainbow flag boot camps are over. The U.S. military is back.
