Stars and Stripes 7.16.15

Volume 7, No. 30 ŠSS 2015

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015 For information please contact Waverly Williams 803-774-1237 or waverly@theitem.com

ARMY AX WOULD FALL HARD STATESIDE Posts could lose more soldiers if budget impasse persists Page 2

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Friday, July 17, 2015

COVER STORY

6 stateside posts to lose at least 1,200 soldiers

BY H EATH DRUZIN Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON — Fort Benning, Fort Hood and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson are the hardest hit posts in the Army’s plan to significantly cut its force, losing more than 9,000 jobs between them.

On July 9, the Army released more details about its plans to eliminate 40,000 active-duty military positions, leaving a force of about 450,000. About 17,000 civilian jobs will also be cut. While some reductions will be through attrition, soldiers and civilians will lose their jobs, Army Director of Force Management Brig. Gen. Randy George said during a press briefing at the Pentagon.

“These are incredibly difficult choices,” he said.

The cuts are due to the Budget Control Act of 2011, which aimed to reduce defense spending. If there is another round of automatic budget cuts, known as sequestration, the Army would be forced to reduce their ranks by an additional 30,000 soldiers.

The Army must give 90 days’ notice to Congress about any bases facing cuts of more than 1,000, and there is the possibility that Congress would make changes to the plan.

George would not say how he thought the cuts would affect the Army’s readiness to respond to threats, but said further reductions would constitute a “significant risk.”

“I think everyone would agree these are tough cuts,” he said.

Georgia will be the secondmost affected state, behind Texas, with 4,349 soldiers cut from Fort Benning and Fort Stewart.

“I am demanding answers from the Department of Defense on how they are

justifying these troop cuts in Georgia,” Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Georgia, said in a statement after learning of the planned reductions. “We cannot afford to reduce our military readiness at a time when the threats to our security here at home and throughout the world are growing at an alarming rate.”

Fort Benning’s losses were due in large part to an Army decision to convert the 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division to a smaller battalion task force. The Army also plans to restructure the 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division at Elmendorf-Richardson into a battalion task force.

“Along with thousands of Alaskans, I find this decision devastating, far beyond what it means to our state economy but what it also means to America’s defense,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in a statement. She said the cuts in her state jeopardize “our military capability and stretch in the Pacific at a time when we don’t want to weaken our strength in that region.”

Critics agree that the cuts would leave America unable to respond appropriately to international threats.

“Any conceivable strategic rationale for this cut to Army end-strength has been overturned by the events of the last few years from the rise of ISIL, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Ebola crisis, and more,” Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said in a released statement, using another name for the Islamic State.

But some Democrats blamed Republicans for the cuts.

“Sequestration and the Budget Control Act, which are responsible for slashing the defense budget, exist because the Republican party held our

economy hostage and threatened to default on our loans,” said Rep. Adam Smith, DWashington, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Sue Walitsky, a spokeswoman for Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, told the Baltimore Sun that the spending caps should be lifted.

“All of our federal agencies, military included, need certainty and reasonable budgets that enable them to carry out their missions on behalf of the American people and not yearly budget gimmicks,” she wrote in an email before the cuts were detailed. Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland will lose 126 soldiers, or 5 percent of its current personnel.

For some states, last week’s announcement came as a relief.

The Army had considered eliminating two brigade combat teams and the 25th Infantry Division headquarters at Schofield Barracks, which would have meant the departure of nearly 16,000 soldiers, according to a report in the Honolulu Advertiser.

Instead, only 1,214 soldiers will be cut.

“The Army reiterated the importance of the Pacific today when announcing the impacts of their force structure realignment and the impacts on Hawaii,” said U.S. Rep. Mark Takai, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

“Through our collective efforts we have been able to protect the vast majority of the soldiers here in Hawaii,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “... We are relieved that the worst-case scenario did not occur.”

druzin.heath@stripes.com Twitter: @Druzin_Stripes

ARMY CUTS BY BASES

The list of bases — alphabetical by state — with troop reductions and the percentage of current personnel levels.

ALASKA Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ..............2,631, (59 percent) Fort Wainwright ..............................................73, (1 percent) ARIZONA Fort Huachuca..............................................114, (5 percent) ALABAMA Fort Rucker ..................................................186, (6 percent) CALIFORNIA Fort Irwin.....................................................246, (6 percent) COLORADO Fort Carson ..................................................365, (2 percent) GEORGIA Fort Benning ............................ 3,402, (29 percent reduction) Fort Stewart .................................................947, (5 percent) HAWAII Schofield Barracks .....................................1,214, (8 percent) Fort Shafter................................................229, (10 percent) KANSAS Fort Riley .....................................................615, (4 percent) Fort Leavenworth............................................60, (2 percent) KENTUCKY Fort Campbell...............................................353, (1 percent) LOUISIANA Fort Polk ......................................................388, (5 percent) MARYLAND Aberdeen Proving Ground ..............................126, (5 percent) MISSOURI Fort Leonard Wood .....................................774, (15 percent) NEW YORK Fort Drum ...................................................28, (0.2 percent) NORTH CAROLINA Fort Bragg....................................................842, (2 percent) SOUTH CAROLINA Fort Jackson.................................................180, (6 percent) TEXAS Fort Bliss ..................................................1,219, (5 percent) Fort Hood .................................................3,350, (9 percent) Joint Base San Antonio .................................329, (6 percent) VIRGINIA Fort Belvoir ..................................................250, (6 percent) Joint Base Langley-Eustis ................................94, (2 percent) Fort Lee .......................................................127, (4 percent) WASHINGTON Joint Base Lewis-McChord ..........................1,251, (5 percent) SOURCE: Department of Defense

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COVER STORY

Troops cuts hit lawmakers where it hurts

BY TRAVIS J. TRITTEN Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON — The Army has warned Congress about budget cuts for months and last week the service brought the pain to lawmakers’ front doors.

Its plan to step up troop cuts — 40,000 over the next two years — will hit states and congressional districts across the ANALYSIS country and have already sparked widespread local outcry. The mayor of Columbus, Ga., said it will be like “losing a large corporation” when the Army trims 3,400 soldiers from Fort Benning due to a tight budget.

The Army’s unexpected announcement has forced a gut check among House and Senate lawmakers after the service issued dire warnings about a 2016 defense budget that it says could hurt readiness.

The cuts were the latest move in a larger political battle that has pitted the Obama administration and Pentagon against a Congress that has been unable or unwilling to head off automatic spending cuts slated to kick in this fall.

After the Army announcement, Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican, shot back with a statement that he was “demanding answers” on the justification for the reductions in his state.

“I have talked in great detail with [Army] Secretary [John] McHugh today and will continue to fight to see to it that we preserve every soldier in Georgia that we can,” he said.

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan said he was “extremely frustrated” that his state of Alaska is set to lose more than 2,700 soldiers by 2017.

“Along with thousands of Alaskans, I find this decision devastating far beyond what it means to our state economy, but what it means to America’s defense,” Sul-

C OTY KUHN /Courtesy of the U.S. Army

Staff Sgt. Joseph T. Trinh, of the 75th Ranger Regiment, conducts stress fire operations for Ranger Rendezvous last month on Fort Benning, Georgia. Fort Benning would lose the largest number of troops under a plan to cut Army strength. livan said.

In all, 17 states will lose soldiers as the Army compresses its three-year plan for post-war downsizing into just two years because of a lack of money.

The Army has said the faster pace is necessary due to a law passed by Congress in 2011 to reduce the federal deficit by imposing a decade of cuts on defense spending.

‘

Our military budget decisions need to be driven by strategy and the best way to defend American lives and our interests.

’

Rep. Martha McSally

The Budget Control Act has forced the service’s budget down every year since it was enacted, according to the Army.

The cuts sent shockwaves through Congress this week after the Army spent months testifying against lawmakers’ current plan. The House and Senate want to keep the caps in place and instead, pump extra money into an emergency overseas war fund.

McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno put the Army’s budget position in stark terms during joint testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee in March.

“This ongoing budgetary unpredictability is neither militarily nor fiscally responsible. … Even as demand for Army forces is growing, budget cuts are forcing us

to reduce end strength to dangerously low levels,” they said in the written testimony. “We face an ‘ends’ and ‘means’ mismatch between requirements and resources available.”

President Barack Obama has also said he will veto any budget that keeps the spending caps in place.

It remains unclear whether a deeply divided Congress can find a solution to the automatic budget cuts imposed by the 2011 law and provide the Army enough funding to stretch out or halt troop reductions.

Fiscal conservatives have been battling with defense hawks over the issue. But the Army’s announcement prompted lawmakers in affected states to renew calls to end the caps.

Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., represents Fort Huachuca where the Army has said 114 soldiers — about 5 percent of its personnel — will be cut.

“Our military budget decisions need to be driven by strategy and the best way to defend American lives and our interests, not a meatcleaver approach to budgeting,” said McSally, a retired Air Force colonel and A-10 Thunderbolt pilot.

“I’ve repeatedly called for a reversal of the acrossthe-board cuts established in 2011 and will continue to work with my colleagues on solutions that ensure our national defense and the safety and security of our troops overseas.”

Tritten.travis@stripes.com Twitter: @Travis_Tritten

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MILITARY

Dunford: Russia ‘greatest threat’ to US security

BY TRAVIS J. TRITTEN Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON — The nominee to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told a Senate committee last week that Russia is a bigger threat to the United States than the Islamic State.

Gen. Joseph Dunford said it would be reasonable to provide weapons to Ukraine following the Russian annexation of Crimea and a military buildup along the country’s border.

“Russia presents the greatest threat to our national security,” he said.

The Armed Services Committee pressed him on Russia as well as the war in Iraq and Syria as part of a confirmation hearing. The 59-year-old Marine Corps commandant was nominated in May by the Obama administration to succeed Gen. Martin Dempsey.

Dunford called recent Russian aggression “alarming” — a comment that could ratchet up tensions between Washington and Moscow, which have reached the highest point since the end of the Cold War more

than two decades ago.

The general was a battlefield commander in Iraq and Afghanistan and has been Marine commandant for a year. If confirmed, he would be President Barack Obama’s top military adviser, playing a key role in charting strategies to counter Russia and to fight the Islamic State group at a time when the current war effort appears to be foundering.

The Armed Services Committee heard Dunford’s testimony and could soon vote on whether to pass the nomination to the full chamber for a final vote. But first, his nomination must clear the Senate, where many Republican lawmakers favor a tougher stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and are frustrated with a lack of progress in Syria and Iraq.

The U.S. program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels has come under scrutiny after Defense Secretary Ash Carter stunned lawmakers by disclosing that only 60 fighters had made it through the stringent vetting process.

Dunford said the military

JOE G ROMELSKI /Stars and Stripes

Gen. Joseph Dunford testifies during his Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on July 9 to become the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. must weed out Syrian candidates who don’t sign a pledge not to fight the forces of Syria President Bashar Assad and cannot offer military assistance once they return to the country to fight. The Obama administration’s current war policy prohibits confrontations with Assad.

“We do not have authority to take action against Assad’s forces unless that [current U.S.] policy is changed,” Dunford said.

The train-and-equip program has attracted 7,000 volunteers, and 1,700 have been vetted and completed the screening necessary to begin training, according to Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis.

Dunford said progress on training the proxy forces could

move more quickly despite the prohibition on fighting Assad.

“They think they’ve learned some things in the vetting process about the first 60,” he said.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the committee, said the U.S. is expecting the Syrians to fight for its cause without offering any protection from “barrel bombing” by the Assad regime when they return to the battlefield.

Syria is embroiled in a complex civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands.

The Obama administration has balked at a confrontation with Assad, hoping to persuade his opposition to turn their guns toward the Islamic State, which has seized vast territory in the country.

Last fall, Congress approved

an Obama administration plan to spend $500 million over three years to train more than 16,000 Syrian fighters — about 5,400 each year — to fight the hardline group in its stronghold.

The Pentagon has spent “roughly half” of the money on training and equipping the fighters with small arms and ammunition, according to the news site Politico.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said the Pentagon and administration should evaluate its current rules of engagement to protect the fighters being backed in Syria.

“I do not believe we should be sending U.S.-trained folks into a theater of war without giving them a guarantee they will be protected,” he said. tritten.travis@stripes.com

USNS Comfort command senior chief sacked Stars and Stripes

NORFOLK, Va. — Navy hospital ship Comfort’s senior enlisted leader was relieved of his duties on July 9 following an alcohol-related incident in Panama, Military Sealift Command said.

Command Senior Chief Aurelio Ayala has been temporarily reassigned to Military Sealift Command in Norfolk, Va., pending an investigation.

A statement from the command did not provide specifics on what led to Ayala’s removal.

The decision to remove Ayala was made by Capt. Christine Sears, the commanding officer of the Comfort’s

Medical Treatment Facility, according to The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot. Sears took command of the ship’s hospital two days before the Comfort deployed April 1 on its five-month humanitarian mission to 11 countries in Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Its 700-member crew is conducting medical clinics, performing onboard surgeries and taking part in charity work.

Ayala’s removal will not impact the Comfort’s mission, the statement said.

It is the third time in two years that a senior person on the Navy ship was relieved of duty, the Virginian-Pilot reported.

Sears took over as CO of the treatment facility, replacing Capt. Rachel Haltner, who was relieved after Navy commanders lost confidence in her ability to lead.

Less than two years earlier, in August 2013, Rear Adm. Thomas Shannon, commander of Military Sealift Command, had lost confidence in Haltner’s predecessor, Capt. Kevin Knoop.

He sacked Knoop and appointed Haltner. That decision was later called into question when a board of inquiry unanimously endorsed Knoop’s leadership and his work, according to the Virginian-Pilot report.

J ESSE A. H YATT/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy

The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort arrives pierside at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., in 2013.

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MIDEAST

Taxi driver Shir Shah heads for the driver’s seat of his 1986 Toyota Corolla in the Tamani neighborhood of central Kabul, Afghanistan.

CARLO MUNOZ /Stars and Stripes

In Afghanistan, Corolla is top choice Toyotas hailed as economical with a tight turning radius good for country’s roads

BY SLOBODAN LEKIC Stars and Stripes

KABUL, Afghanistan — Drive down any city street in Kabul and you’re likely to run into two things: heavy traffic and a sea of Toyota Corollas, many of them sporting decals such as “Corolla Road Rage” or “Mad Max Corolla.”

Since the Taliban conquered most of Afghanistan in the late 1990s and started importing secondhand Corollas from the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states, the utilitarian little runabout has become the car of choice in this war-torn nation.

Nowadays, about 90 percent of the cars registered in Afghanistan are Corollas, said Haji Askar Khan, a used-car dealer in Kabul with 30 years of experience. The vast majority are secondhand vehicles, usually between 8 and 10 years old, he said.

According to Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Traffic, about 90,000 motor vehicles are imported into the country every year.

Gen. Asadullah Khan, head of the Kabul Traffic Department, said about 700,000 cars are registered in the capital. Corollas comprise the overwhelming majority, and other Toyota models — particularly sports utility vehicles such as Land Cruisers, RAV4s and 4Runners — make up much of the rest.

“Toyota Corollas are economical on gas, they are cheap to purchase and it’s

easy to find spare parts everywhere in the country,” Khan said. In contrast, he said, if the owner of a Mercedes-Benz wants to get spares for his vehicle, he’ll have to order them from United Arab Emirates and deal with the complications and expenses of importing them to Afghanistan.

Typical Corolla prices, which include customs and registration fees, vary from $15,000 for a 2013 model to $1,000 for a car from the early 1970s.

Since Toyota introduced the Corolla nearly 50 years ago, it has become the world’s best-selling model with more than 40 million cars sold. It has gone through 11 redesigns and has been gradually bulked up from the original subcompact to the midsize family sedan of today.

In the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, Fords and various GM models were by far the most popular cars throughout Afghanistan. In the 1970s and ’80s, after the Soviet invasion, Russian Volgas and Moskvichs dominated.

But when the Taliban conquered Kabul and overran much of Afghanistan in the 1990s, they started importing secondhand Corollas. Afghani drivers looking for cheap, reliable, fuelefficient cars followed suit, and Corollas quickly overwhelmed all competitors.

It helped that Corollas happen to be popular in other nearby nations, such as Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf countries.

Taliban car bombers still occasionally use Corollas in attacks on govern-

ment or coalition forces. But because their suspension tends to sag under a heavy load of explosives in the trunk — a sure giveaway at the frequent police checkpoints — car bombers generally pick some of the more robust SUVs, police officials say.

Askar Khan said Afghan buyers prefer used Corollas from Germany and Japan because they tend to be properly maintained by their original owners.

In contrast, many vehicles from the United States are insurance write-offs and are imported damaged and repaired and repainted in one of the many mechanical workshops specializing in rebuilding Corollas in Afghanistan.

A cottage industry of mechanics and body shops has sprung up in Afghanistan dedicated to keeping Corollas running.

In most of the world, Corollas have a reputation as a responsible choice, offering efficiency and reliability at a reasonable price. But they are not the epitome of dash and exit driving.

Afghan drivers, however, say they have discovered a more practical characteristic: The Corolla’s tight turning radius makes it ultraresponsive on the country’s narrow, congested and potholed roads, where cars often compete with pedestrians, cyclists, vendors and donkeys.

“It’s very maneuverable, which makes it easy to get around holes in the roads and other obstacles, even when you’re driving fast,” said Shir Shah,

a Kabul taxi driver. “And if you hit a traffic jam on a city street, it’s easy to make a quick U-turn and try to find an alternate road.”

Showing off his prized possession, his newly repainted 1986 yellow-and-white Corolla, Shah said it was ideal for a taxi, offering good interior and trunk space.

“It can transport an entire family, no problem.”

One concern many drivers have, however, is that it’s difficult for one Corolla to stand out among thousands of identical vehicles. As a result, many individualize their cars with Afghanistan’s national coat of arms or photos of their favorite warlord. Others adorn them with stickers like “Beautiful Corolla” or “Fantastic Corolla.” They sometimes sport Japanese inscriptions, which nobody pretends to understand.

Some owners leave the original license plates on their cars, especially if they’re German, covered only partially by new Afghan tags. Some see Western insurance markers as a point of pride.

Foreigners in Afghanistan have long joked that Afghanistan is where the world’s Corollas come to die. But Afghans take issue with that description.

“They come here to die?” asked a puzzled Askar Khan while leading reporters through dozens of parked Corollas in his dealership at the eastern edge of Kabul. “But Corollas never, never die. They drive on forever.”

Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report.

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WAR ON TERRORISM Georgian troops from the 43rd Light Infantry Battalion flank an Afghan Army Humvee during a June 10 security patrol outside Bagram Air Field in Parwan province.

PHOTOS

BY

CARLO MUNOZ /Stars and Stripes

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT New mission brings new rules for troop patrols in Afghanistan

BY CARLO MUNOZ Stars and Stripes

PARWAN, Afghanistan merican Marines and Georgian soldiers waited outside the mud-brick compound about a mile north of Bagram Air Field as their interpreter and a Georgian master sergeant pressed a group of villagers about who may have been responsible for rocket attacks against the nearby NATO base.

Days before, an American civilian woman was killed when a rocket slammed into her vehicle inside the wire. Krissie Davis became the first employee of the Pentagon’s Defense Logistics Agency killed in Afghanistan. Another American civilian was wounded.

The U.S.-Georgian patrol was looking for a “person of interest” in the attack. But the villagers insisted the person was no longer there. The patrol had little choice but to take the villagers at their word.

Before the NATO combat mission ended last December, the Marines and the Georgians could have searched the compound to see if the suspect was hiding inside. Under the new post-command mission rules, however, they need a search warrant from the Afghan police or the government’s intelligence service, said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Jeremy Langford.

After nearly a decade in Afghanistan, nearly 13,000 U.S. and NATO forces are still in Afghanistan — and still patrolling outside the wire.

But the new mission — mostly training and advising Afghan forces — has come with a new set of rules of engagement.

New rules prohibit U.S. and other NATO troops from actively hunting Taliban or other insurgent groups in the country. But if those groups “directly threaten U.S. and coalition forces,” troops “may take appropriate action against those individuals,” according to the Pentagon.

That means America’s longest war is not quite over. As long as the Taliban threaten NATO bases, troops end up conducting missions that could place them in danger — though with more restrictions on how they operate.

“Nothing has changed, really. Except for the rules of engagement,” Czech 1st Sgt. Mike Baka told Stars and Stripes during another night patrol last month with members of the 4th Czech Lion Company and the 101st Airborne Division.

The challenges are especially evident on night patrols.

A

American, Afghan and Georgian troops head into a village during the patrol.

Above: An Afghan soldier takes a break to joke with local children during the patrol.

Right: An Afghan Army officer questions a villager about a suspected rocket position in the Parwan province area.

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WAR ON TERRORISM FROM PAGE 11

Former President Hamid Karzai had restricted night operations, saying they were stoking resentment and encouraging support for the Taliban. His successor, Ashraf Ghani, lifted those restrictions after taking power last September, but concern about the political impact of night operations linger.

On a night operation two months ago, a joint U.S.-Czech force was split into two groups, one led by Baka with an American servicedog team, and the other with Czech soldiers and a bomb-disposal team from the 101st. Both groups pushed out just under 2 miles on foot, setting up in two areas used by the insurgents for rocket attacks.

Conspicuously absent that night were Afghan troops — except for an interpreter.

Bagram spokeswoman Lt. Col. Amanda Azubuike said Afghan forces take part “in the vast majority” of security operations around the Bagram base. But on some operations like air assaults, surveillance and reconnaissance, coalition forces operate on their own.

Baka said Afghan troops were left behind because they did not have the capability to go on this type of mission.

During the day, operations focus more on meeting with local leaders and providing a security presence alongside Afghan forces. But at night, coalition forces perform everything from security patrols to discreet reconnaissance operations. While both missions are defensive in nature, Baka said his men would be ready to defend themselves if they made contact with the insurgents. “During the night is when we know the bad guys operate,” Baka said.

Troops say there are signs the Taliban and other insurgents are adapting to the new rules of engagement.

During the June 10 patrol, Langford said that since NATO troops can no longer search homes without a warrant, insurgents simply hide inside until the patrol leaves.

“It’s either, ‘They just went to the mosque’ or, ‘You just missed them; they are in Kabul,’” Langford said, recalling numerous excuses he has heard during patrols around Bagram. As the patrol ambled down a narrow dirt path toward their vehicles, Langford quickly glanced back at the compound’s windows.

“Sometimes you’ll see [someone] peek out the windows after they say no one is there,” he said.

Do the patrols find suspects they are looking for?

“Rarely,” he replied. munoz.carlo@stripes.com

PHOTOS

BY

CARLO MUNOZ /Stars and Stripes

American and Czech troops wait to board a U.S. Army Chinook at Bagram Air Field during a June 3 nighttime reconnaissance patrol in Parwan province, central Afghanistan.

Above: A Czech soldier adjusts his night vision goggles aboard a U.S. Army Chinook at Bagram Air Field before taking off on June 3 for a nighttime surveillance mission. Below: Master Sgt. Gogita Getia, of the 43rd Georgian Light Infantry Battalion, questions an Afghan local concerning the whereabouts of several “persons of interest.”

Navy Corpsman 1st Class Darrell Jones takes a knee while U.S. and Georgian troops question locals in Parwan province.

Friday, July 17, 2015

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Friday, July 17, 2015

MILITARY

DOD closer to lifting transgender troop ban

BY STEVEN BEARDSLEY Stars and Stripes

The military took a big step toward lifting its ban on transgender servicemembers on Monday by forming a working group to review the issue and making it more difficult for transgender men and women to be discharged in the meantime.

The announcement by Defense Secretary Ash Carter reflects growing scrutiny on the ban in recent years as the military overhauled other personnel policies, recognizing gay and lesbian troops and opening combat positions to women.

“The Defense Department’s current regulations regarding transgender servicemembers are outdated and are causing uncertainty that distracts commanders from our core missions,” Carter said in a statement announcing the change.

Advocacy groups and transgender servicemembers and veterans applauded the announcement, which sets a six-month timeline for the

group to finish its work and suggested the final result would be a lift on the ban.

“Six months is more than enough time to hammer out the details. This isn’t new ground,” said Allyson Robinson, policy director for the gay, lesbian and transgender advocacy group SPARTA. “A number of our military allies deploy transgender troops alongside American forces downrange, as do DOD contractors,” Robinson said.

The working group will identify the medical, legal and administrative issues that would accompany a repeal of the ban, according to the announcement. Led by acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Brad Carson and staffed with representatives of each service and the Joint Chiefs, the group will begin its work from the assumption that transgender men and women can serve openly, Carter said, “except where objective, practical impediments are identified.”

Carson will have final authority for any decisions to remove transgender people from the services, a decision that

What do you think?

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has ordered a six-month study aimed at formally ending one of the last gender- or sexuality-based barriers to military service, saying the Pentagon’s current regulations banning transgender individuals from serving in the military need to be examined. Take our informal survey and use our comments section to tell us what you think about this controversial issue. stripes.com/go/transgenderpoll

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had rested with each service.

The term “transgender” includes anyone who identifies with or expresses himself or herself as a gender different from the one assigned at birth.

Some transgender people choose medical procedures as part of their transition.

As many as 15,500 current active-duty servicemembers, reservists and National Guard members are transgender, with another 135,000 veterans, according to a 2014 estimate by researchers at the UCLA School of Law. The majority appear to be male-to-female transgender women, according to a survey published in 2013 in the LGBTQ Policy Journal at the Harvard Kennedy School.

The military’s current ban was based on older medical beliefs that transgender people suffered from an identity disorder, an idea scrapped years ago by prominent medical and psychiatric organizations. Last month, the American Medical Association adopted a policy stating there were no medical reasons for barring transgendered people from military service.

The repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 2011, which allowed gay and lesbian servicemembers to serve openly in the military, put a spotlight on transgender issues in the military. Attention to the issue grew in 2013, when Chelsea Manning, the Army private formerly known as Bradley Manning, announced her transition shortly after being sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking secret documents.

This publication is a compilation of stories from Stars and Stripes, the editorially independent newspaper authorized by the Department of Defense for members of the military community. The contents of Stars and Stripes are unofficial, and are not to be considered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, including the Defense Department or the military services. The U.S. Edition of Stars and Stripes is published jointly by Stars and Stripes and this newspaper.

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© Stars and Stripes, 2015

AP

Allyson Robinson, policy director for the gay, lesbian and transgender advocacy group SPARTA, says six months is “more than enough time” for a military working group to review the ban on transgender servicemembers.

The Army initially refused to pay for Manning’s hormone therapy before relenting in February after Manning filed a lawsuit.

The military asked services last year to assess their policies toward transgender servicemembers. Carter indicated his openness on the issue in February, days after his arrival in the department, while speaking to servicemembers in Afghanistan.

“I’m very open-minded about [it] provided they can do what we need them to do for us,” he said. “That’s the important criteria. Are they going to be excellent servicemembers?”

Some services made their own policy changes. The Army removed decision-making authority for discharges under the ban from unit commanders and doctors in March, giving it instead to a senior civilian. The Air Force followed suit in June.

Veterans Affairs hospitals provide hormone therapy for transgender veterans but do not provide sex-reassignment surgery.

Among issues likely to be reviewed by the working group will be whether transgender servicemembers undergoing hormone therapy can bear hardship posts, how the military covers medical expenses associated with transitioning, and integration into some units.

Advocates and transgender

servicemembers say they’ve been serving for years, even if they’ve remained quiet about their identity. Some have deployed, and some say they would prefer to remain in the military if possible.

Army Spc. Robyn Reeves, with the military’s American Forces Network, said she hopes to make a full career of the military if the ban is lifted. She said she’s found acceptance within her command, and has been supervised by military doctors as she undergoes estrogen therapy.

“I’ve been written off more times than I can think from strangers on the street and even from my family. It was really difficult to deal with,” Reeves said. “So having this support system of servicemembers from a variety of backgrounds that didn’t write me off is worth gold.“ Autumn Sandeen, of San Diego, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1980 to 2000 as Stephen Sandeen before transitioning to a woman, said a repeal of the ban would finally allow transgender servicemembers to be themselves.

“They get to serve with integrity and be who they are, just like all the other servicemembers,” she said. “They get to bring their whole real selves into the workplace.”

Stars and Stripes reporters Seth Robson and Chris Church contributed to this report.

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