Oppose Transgender Service Member Separations That Harm Military Readiness

I am writing to urge you to oppose the forced separation of transgender service members from our military. These separations weaken our armed forces and threaten national security at a time when we cannot afford to lose qualified personnel. Retired four-star Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who led operations resulting in Saddam Hussein's capture and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi's death, recently presided over a retirement ceremony for five transgender service members forcibly removed from service. He called these separations an "unfortunate," "unfair," and "costly mistake" that affects mission readiness. When a decorated general with McChrystal's combat credentials warns that a policy harms our military effectiveness, Congress must listen. The separation process itself wastes resources our military needs elsewhere. Military attorney Priya Rashid reports that assembling separation boards costs approximately $22,000 per case. We are spending tens of thousands of dollars to remove qualified service members like Col. Bree Fram, the highest-ranking transgender member of the armed forces, and U.S. Army Maj. Kara Corcoran, who has 17 years of service including two tours in Afghanistan and attendance at Ranger and Airborne schools. These are experienced personnel we trained at considerable expense. The policy's implementation reveals its arbitrary nature. The first Trump administration required transgender service members to obtain official medical diagnoses for gender dysphoria to remain in service. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth then used those same diagnoses as grounds for removal in a February 2025 memo. Service members who followed the rules are now being punished for compliance. Rashid also notes that separation boards are ordered to find transgender service members unfit before hearing evidence, a predetermined outcome unprecedented in military justice. This undermines the integrity of our military legal system. I urge you to introduce or support legislation reversing these separations and protecting qualified service members regardless of gender identity. Our military should prioritize combat readiness over ideology.