WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — A prominent “transgender” officer in the U.S. Space Force has been removed from duty under new Pentagon regulations barring individuals with gender dysphoria from military service.
Col. “Bree” Fram, a male who “identifies” as a woman, was one of the highest-ranking openly gender-confused officials in the armed forces. Fram announced on Friday that he had been placed on administrative leave, effectively ending his military career.
“In my last official act, I was able to pin medals on three of my folks,” Fram wrote on Instagram. “The last salute broke my heart in two.”
The policy, based on DoD Instruction 6130.03, stems from President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14183 and follows a Supreme Court stay in Shilling v. United States that cleared the way for implementation. It requires the removal of individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria, citing “excessive time lost from duty for necessary treatment or hospitalizations.”
Fram had served as division chief for Requirements Integration at the Pentagon. In this role, he focused on “defining the future capabilities” needed for war in the modern world.
Roughly 1,000 service members, including Fram, voluntarily self-identified as “transgender” before the June 7 deadline. Others may be flagged during routine medical evaluations or annual reviews. Guard and Reserve troops have until July 7 to comply.
Fram began identifying as “transgender” in 2016, the day then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter lifted a prior ban on open gender confusion in the military. In his farewell message, he said he received parting words of support from fellow officers.
The Pentagon cites more than 4,200 military members diagnosed with gender dysphoria, though internal estimates suggest the number could be higher.
The policy change marks a sharp reversal from earlier Pentagon positions and is part of a broader shift under the Trump administration toward reinforcing traditional military norms and operational readiness.
However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also defended the new rules as a return to “the warrior ethos.”
“Everything starts and ends with warriors,” he said in May 2025. “We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind.”
He added: “No more pronouns. No more climate change obsession. No more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s—.”
He later reiterated on X: “No More Trans @ DoD.”
No More Trans @ DoD. https://t.co/BWn8CAFvWs
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) May 6, 2025