NO PLAN FOR TRANSGENDER TROOPS: When President Trump unleashed a mini-tweetstorm yesterday morning announcing that transgender troops would no longer be allowed to serve in the U.S. military in any capacity, he caught virtually everyone flat footed. The major policy shift came as a surprise, and left the Pentagon scrambling to answer basic questions about what it means. No one could say what the next step was. While officials who did not want to be named said they believed the White House “consulted” at the “highest levels” of the Defense Department, no one could say definitively whether Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who was on vacation in the Pacific Northwest, was consulted, or simply informed of the decision.
Trump said he was relying on his generals and military experts, but no one could say who specifically that was. The spokesman for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs was not returning calls, or seeing reporters as he worked behind a closed office door. No member of the Joint Chiefs came forward to make any statement. The Pentagon was awash in confusion all day. Officials said they were awaiting guidance from the commander in chief. A statement issued mid-morning said, “We will continue to work closely with the White House to address the new guidance provided by the Commander-in-Chief on transgender individuals serving the military,” and told reporter to call the White House.
