Two rights groups have filed lawsuits against the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis aimed at blocking the military from potentially kicking out HIV-positive troops who cannot deploy overseas.

A lawsuit filed in a Virginia federal district on Wednesday focuses on Army Sgt. Nick Harrison, who wants to join the Judge Advocate General Corps with the D.C. National Guard, but was turned away because he has the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, which can lead to the condition of AIDS.