October 13, 2017
Former Army Secretary: Donald Trump’s Transgender Troops Ban Weakens the Military
As the 22nd Secretary of the Army, my job was to ensure the Army remained the most effective fighting force the world has ever known. Critical to this effort was the constant recruiting, training and retention of the best people our country had to offer. The strength of the U.S. Army derives not from its technologically advanced weapon systems, but from the intelligence, creativity and ingenuity of the more than one million soldiers currently serving here at home and in 150 countries around the world.
I prioritized guaranteeing that every American who could meet the Army’s high standards had the opportunity to serve. This included changing policies that once prevented women from being assigned to certain combat units and breaking down barriers that forced religious Americans to choose between serving their country or being true to their faith. It also meant acknowledging the existence of transgender service members in the ranks and establishing a framework for their open service.
Read the full op-ed in TIME.
More from CNAS
-
National Security Has a Human Capital Problem and There’s No Fast Way Out
Podcast
National security doesn’t really exist without the military forces and supporting civilians to carry it out. Recruitment remains a problem for the armed forces. And there’s a ...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
The Department of Defense’s Breakthrough Nuclear Moment Risks Slipping Away
Commentary
Unless they act, the Department of Defense’s breakthrough nuclear moment may vanish before it really happens....
By Will Rogers
-
Sharper: National Security Human Capital
Commentary
U.S. national security depends on the nation’s ability to leverage the expertise of uniformed warfighters and the highly skilled civilian professionals who develop and impleme...
By Charles Horn & Taren Sylvester
-
Hegseth Brings the Culture War to Combat
Commentary
The fundamental challenge of military leadership lies in creating cohesive teams that can work together in an environment of mortal risk and, when called upon to do so, use le...
By Dr. Jason Dempsey
