Never mind ISIS, Pentagon focusing on letting transgenders serve [VIDEO]

Let me see, ISIS just beheaded an American citizen and is committing genocide against Christians and religious minorities. Ukraine has captured Russian soldiers in its country. Israel is engaged in a conflagration against Hamas and has recently endured rockets fired from Hezbollah in the north. We have a porous southern border and tens of thousands of illegal aliens have been dispersed all over our country. No one is talking about Iran anymore, and its economic sanctions are eased. We just found out that an American, Douglas MacArthur McCain, who grew up in Minnesota was killed in Syria — fighting for ISIS.

And with all that, what is the national security focus of the Pentagon and the Obama administration? Transgendered soldiers.

As reported by the Washington Examiner, “Having already lifted the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gays in the military, the Pentagon “likely will” allow transgendered Americans to serve openly in the military where 15,500 now secretly serve, according to a new report issued by top former generals.”

“Three of the top brass, endorsing the deployment of transgendered troops, also said their effort has the support of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and President Obama. In a statement accompanying the 29-page report issued Tuesday, they said, “Our conclusion is that allowing transgender personnel to serve openly is administratively feasible and will not be burdensome or complicated. Three months have passed since Defense Secretary Hagel announced a willingness to review the military’s ban on transgender service, an effort the White House indicated it supports.”

Unlike the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban repealed by Congress, the transgender ban falls “under the authority and jurisdiction of the president and secretary of defense,” said the “Report of the Planning Commission on Transgender Military Service” published by the Palm Center, an arm of San Francisco State University.

Fundamental transformation, social egalitarianism, and social justice — those are the critical national security imperatives for this administration. We are handing out pink slips to combat leaders — as we highlighted here, in the plight of one Army Major at Ft. Leavenworth — but this is of far more vital interest, apparently.

Endorsing the policy change are retired Maj. Gen. Gale S. Pollock, former acting surgeon general of the Army; Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender, former chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps; and Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Kolditz, a Yale University professor and professor emeritus at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he led the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. Hmm, I wonder if any frontline combat leaders were consulted?

The Examiner says, “transgendered Americans don’t see themselves as the sex they were born with and sometimes undergo hormone treatment or sex change surgery. The report suggested that the military allow those in the military who feel that way to get the medical care they need.”

So does this mean Defense Department healthcare dollars will go to pay for this treatment — meaning U.S. taxpayer dollars? And I thought we were overburdening the defense healthcare system? There are already rumors that imprisoned Army soldier Bradley “Chelsea” Manning will be allowed to undergo hormonal treatment paid for by the Army. And once folks make the change, I suppose the Pentagon should follow the British model in letting transgenders wear the gender-appropriate uniform in which they feel most comfortable.

In 2004 I retired from 22 years of active duty service in the U.S. Army — ten years ago this month — perhaps God knew what was best.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on AllenBWest.com.