Carlos Barria/Reuters
Fifty-six retired generals and admirals released a statement on Tuesday arguing that President Trump’s proposed ban against transgender troops would be detrimental to military readiness. “If implemented, [it] would cause significant disruptions, deprive the military of mission-critical talent, and compromise the integrity of transgender troops who would be forced to live a lie, as well as non-transgender peers who would be forced to choose between reporting their comrades or disobeying policy,” the retired officers wrote. “As a result, the proposed ban would degrade readiness even more than the failed ‘don't ask, don't tell’ policy. Patriotic transgender Americans who are serving—and who want to serve—must not be dismissed, deprived of medically necessary health care, or forced to compromise their integrity or hide their identity.” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said last week that the military would not implement the ban until the White House issues official guidance.