General Mattis Didn't Stop the Trans Ban—He Did What Trump Told Him to Do

The plan of action that Mattis outlined mirrors the directive that Trump issued. The White House memo tasked Mattis to evaluate whether or not trans service members are obstructive to the mission of the US Military, and explicitly laid out a timeline: By February 21, 2018, the Secretary of Defense and Homeland Secretary must submit a plan for the policy's implementation. It will take full effect on March 23. Until Mattis decides "how to address transgender individuals currently serving in the United States military," the memo reads, "no action may be taken against such individuals."

This is exactly what Mattis said he'd do: "I will establish a panel of experts serving within the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to provide advice and recommendations on the implementation of the president's direction," his statement reads. Mattis didn't take quick action to stop the ban from happening, and he also hasn't raced to execute the discharge of trans service members. Like any military leader, he is taking a strategic, evaluated approach to implement Trump's directive. We don't yet know whether his views align with the commander in chief's.

In a statement to the website INFO, the Department of Defense confirmed that Mattis' announcement had been coordinated with the White House. "The president gave a directive and the Secretary of Defense is implementing it ‎exactly as he would any other directive—through careful research and consultation with experts who can best advise the on the way to move forward," DoD spokesperson Paul Haverstick said.

In other words, General Mattis is complying with the White House's directive, assembling a panel of experts to analyze whether trans people are disruptive to unit cohesion. This is despite the fact that there are currently thousands of transgender people serving in the US military.

Trump's guidance suggested that, if trans service members are allowed to serve openly, military effectiveness will be hindered, the cohesion of military units could be jeopardized, and military resources will be strained due to the cost of medical care for transgender service members. There is no reliable evidence to support this claim; according to trans service members, however, the costs associated with discharging trans people from the military will be significant.

"If I were to be discharged, my position would be empty, and someone else would need to be quickly trained to replace me before the unit deploys. Our unit would not be prepared or ready in that scenario," a staff sergeant named Katherine, who is trans, told Broadly last week. She estimates the military has spent at least $700,000 on her training. "If I were to be kicked out, the military would be losing a valuable asset," she said. "That's a lot of wasted resources."

Two weeks ago, Broadly broke news that the Military Medical Command has directed all surgical care to be denied to transgender service members pending forthcoming guidance from the administration. One week later, Trump issued his guidance, ordering the military to "halt all use of DoD or DHS resources to fund sex reassignment surgical procedures for military personnel."

Several transgender service members have told me they are depending upon Mattis. He is a seasoned military expert, someone they deeply respect. They need him to understand that Trump's agenda is political and destructive to the US Military. Mattis has not yet signaled what his decision will be—but it is essential that the media and public understand how much hangs in the balance as the Secretary of Defense conducts his research and forms a panel that will decide the fate of thousands of American lives.