Defense Secretary Orders Pause on Transgender Procedures for Troops

Pete Hegseth has also ordered a halt to accessions for individuals with gender dysphoria.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepares to welcome Australian Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 7, 2025. Nathan Howard/Reuters

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a halt to transgender procedures for members of the military, according to a memorandum made public on Feb. 10.

Hegseth, in a memo dated Feb. 7, ordered the military to pause “all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members.”