Donald Trump will remove all transgender members of the US military from their posts, according to reports.
The president-elect will use an executive order to make the move and it could come as soon as his first day in office, The Times reported.
It will lead to the dismissal of thousands of service personnel at a time when the US armed forces are struggling to meet recruitment targets.
In his first term, Mr Trump banned transgender people from joining the US armed forces but those already in post were allowed to keep their jobs. The ban was reversed by Joe Biden.
Under the reported new proposals transgender people would also be banned from joining the military.
“These people will be forced out at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people,” a source familiar with Mr Trump’s plans told the newspaper.
“Only the Marine Corps is hitting its numbers for recruitment and some people who will be affected are in very senior positions”.
‘Undermine readiness’
Some Military charities criticised the proposals on Sunday night.
“Should a trans ban be implemented from day one of the Trump administration it would undermine the readiness of the military and create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis, not to mention signalling vulnerability to America’s adversaries,” said Rachel Branaman, executive director of Modern Military Association of America, which campaigns on behalf of LGBT+ military personnel and veterans.
“Abruptly discharging 15,000-plus service members, especially given that the military’s recruiting targets fell short by 41,000 recruits last year, adds administrative burdens to war-fighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps,” she added.
“There would be a significant financial cost, as well as a loss of experience and leadership that will take possibly 20 years and billions of dollars to replace.”
Around 2,200 service personnel had been diagnosed with gender dysmorphia when the previous ban was lifted but privacy policies mean the exact number of transgender service personnel is not known, according to the Pentagon.
The move comes after the president-elect nominated Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who has criticised “weak” and “effeminate” military leadership, as his defence secretary.
Paulo Batista, a transgender analyst in the US navy, said it could take years to fill job vacancies caused by any ban.
“I have four years left on my contract,” he said. “But you take 15,000 of us out – there’s more but that’s the number that is always mentioned – that’s 15,000 leadership positions, every one of us plays a vital role.
“There are junior enlisted personnel to high-end officers. You pull one of us out, that means others have to cover. These jobs could take months or even years to fill.”
Mr Trump’s spokesmen did not comment when contacted by the newspaper.
