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UPDATE: Executive Order for Transgender Military Ban Signed
In three tweets in July 2017, Trump sought to restrict transgender troops from serving in the military claiming it was due to costs rather than bigotry. These tweets did not equal policy change.
Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a memo to military commanders that the Pentagon would not make any policy changes until it was instructed to do so. “There will be no modifications to the current policy until the president’s direction has been received by the secretary of defense and the secretary has issued implementation guidance,” General Dunford said. "U.S. policy on transgender individuals serving in uniform hasn't and won't change until Defense Secretary Jim Mattis receives the president's policy direction and Mattis determines how to implement it."
On August 25, 2017, Trump turned tweets into an Executive Order reinstating a ban on transgender individuals from serving in the military.
Trump's directive.... reinstates a prohibition of transgender service members lifted last year.... gives Defense Secretary Jim Mattis until Feb. 21, 2018, to submit a plan for implementing the new policy. It leaves decision of whether to remove current troops to Mattis.
What now? Can Mattis stop the ban if he chooses?
Mattis said Tuesday transgender troops will continue to serve in the military while President Donald Trump’s order to ban them is reviewed. The LGBT community and some veterans groups praised the move.
Experts predict that implementation of the ban will prove a lethal thicket and predict a series of court challenges that will likely delay the policy.
Sources:
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/25/trump-transgender-military-ban-242049
http://www.newsweek.com/can-james-mattis-stop-trumps-transgender-ban-military-656839