The Pentagon has ordered the military command that processes new recruits to hold off on initial training for people who are HIV-positive and recently joined the military, CNN has learned, saying that a decision on reinstating a Defense Department ban on their enlistment is “expected in the next few weeks.”
The Office of the Secretary of Defense directed the pause, according to guidance sent out Friday by US Military Entrance Processing Command and viewed by CNN, after a federal appeals court last month shelved a lower-court ruling from 2024 that prohibited the Pentagon from rejecting recruits solely because of their asymptomatic HIV status.
The appeals court has not yet issued a final decision in the case, though the guidance says the Pentagon’s Accession Policy office is working on the issue. A decision from the Pentagon’s personnel office, which could reinstate the previous longstanding ban on enlistment that had been Defense Department policy before the 2024 ruling, is expected soon.
“While awaiting the decision, we are pausing shipping any HIV+ applicants and will follow-up in the coming weeks,” the email says. The Pentagon referred questions on Friday to the Justice Department.
It was not immediately clear how many recruits who had already signed contracts to serve in the military will be prevented from beginning their training as a result of the new policy.
Source: CNN
