Charles Q. Brown Jr. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, center right, talks to members of the press after arriving at the Pentagon, Monday, Jan. He also on Monday ordered troops to be reinstated who had left voluntarily or been booted for refusing COVID vaccines, outlined new rollbacks in diversity programs and provided for the deployment of a space-based missile defense shield for the U. Trump and Hegseth had described parts of the anticipated orders throughout the day, but the exact language did not drop until late Monday.
Trump had tried to ban transgender troops during his first term, but it was tangled up in the courts for years before being overturned by then-President Joe Biden shortly after he took office.
Two groups, Lambda Legal and Human Rights Campaign, which represented transgender troops the first time, vowed to fight again. As we promised then, so do we now: we will sue. During his first presidency, Trump established U. Space Command and the U. Space Force, which just marked its fifth birthday. Space continues to be a priority for the president, who has now directed the Pentagon to begin to develop the capability to shoot down missiles from space.
For years, the U. The Space Force is building a low-orbit ring of redundant satellites that can more quickly track and detect potential missile launches. But establishing a way to shoot missiles down from space is something the U. The system was never developed due to cost and technological limitations. At least 8, troops were forced out of the military in for refusing to obey a lawful order when they declined to get the vaccine.
Notices advising them they could return were sent out in , but just have reenlisted. The reinstatement process for any who now want to return requires that they meet military entry standards. Trump and Hegseth have persistently stated that the military must not reduce standards.
