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News Notes -- July 9, 2021
Policy allows transgender Soldiers to serve openly
Transgender personnel and individuals with gender dysphoria who can meet the Army's standards for military service can now serve openly in their self-identified gender, according to a new policy approved in June by the Army secretary.
Army directive 2021-22 changes the service’s retention, separation, in-service transition, and medical care standards for transgender personnel and refines entry criteria for individuals with gender dysphoria, following Department of Defense guidance, said Maj. Gen. Douglas F. Stitt, military personnel management director.
"People are the strength of our Army," Stitt said June 22. "Our ability to assess and retain qualified personnel provides a more diverse and stronger Army, enhancing readiness.”
A Soldier's gender identity will no longer be a basis for involuntary separation or military discharge, denied re-enlistment or continuation of service, or subjected to adverse action or mistreatment, the policy states.
The updated policy will apply to all active-duty, National Guard and Reserve Soldiers, U.S. Military Academy cadets, and contracted Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets. Military medical providers will provide medically necessary care for transgender Soldiers following guidelines by the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs and the Army surgeon general, Stitt said.
“Every Soldier is different,” Stitt said. “When a military medical provider gives diagnosis of gender dysphoria, that Soldier will need to sit down with their chain of command and medical provider to determine what is medically necessary for an effective transition.”
Commanders should approach a Soldier’s gender transition in the same way they approach any Soldier receiving any other necessary medical treatment, the policy reads. Leaders must also do their part to minimize the impact on mission readiness, all while balancing the Army's needs with the desires of the transitioning individual.
Once a Soldier is stable in their self-identified gender, they can then request to change their gender marker in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, or DEERS. Once the change is complete, all policies and standards for that given gender will then apply, the policy reads.
Individuals will then be expected to meet all uniform, grooming, body composition, physical readiness, and drug-testing standards. Similarly, a Soldier's identified gender in DEERS will permit them to access gender-specific facilities, such as bathrooms and showers.
Transgender personnel and individuals with gender dysphoria must meet all applicable medical accession standards to gain entry into the Army, the policy reads.
Before the updated Army guidelines, individuals with gender dysphoria were presumptively disqualified unless stable for 36 months and willing and able to serve in their biological sex, Stitt said. Under the new guidance, this duration to meet standards is now 18 months of stability and the person can serve in their self-identified gender.
"This gives the Army a bigger applicant pool to consider," Stitt said.
Applicants must present documents to validate their self-identified gender, such as a birth certificate, U.S. passport, or a certified copy of a court order reflecting one's self identified gender, the policy states.
If an individual cannot meet a medical criterion, they can request a waiver for evaluation under DOD and Army policies. The standard for approval will be determined individually and must be in the Army's best interests after a thorough review of the individual's potential.
The Army must continue to operate in an environment free from harassment and unlawful discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, Stitt said. Training on the new policy will be necessary to ensure proper integration throughout the force.
Over the next year, the service will launch a three-tiered training model, starting with the Judge Advocate General, Medical and Chaplain Corps, and Inspector General personnel, Stitt added.
The second tier will follow shortly after and provide education to leaders and supervisors, followed by unit-level training during the third tier.
All training on the updated policy must be completed no later than June 25, 2022, Stitt said. The Army will then have until September 2022 to adjust existing instruction blocks to train personnel on gender dysphoria and any changes to DOD and Army transgender policies.
“Department of Defense policy allows transgender personnel to serve openly,” Stitt said. “Now we have the Army policy to support it.”
App aims to match talent with DOD needs
An app called Gig Eagle, powered by artificial intelligence, will be developed to identify talent in the Guard and reserve forces that could be utilized around the Department of Defense, an official in the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) who is working on the project said.
Scott Sumner, technical project manager at DIU’s artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning portfolio, said that there's a lot of talent in the guard and reserve forces that the DOD could be using but is not aware of.
For example, reservists in their civilian jobs might be working on cloud computing, software engineering, cybersecurity or any number of other in-demand skills. The problem is that the DOD has no way to find them or to know that those skills even exist, he said.
Gig Eagle will be powered by AI, he said, so that the right matches are made. The platform will consider the skill preferences and biographical information, including current skill sets, that the reservist enters into the app. The AI algorithm will key on similar words that indicate or infer a particular talent or skill. A hiring manager from the DOD will then receive a ranked list of possible candidates.
It will also work the other way around, Sumner said. The reservist could locate a hiring manager from the DOD who is looking for his or her particular skill sets.
The idea, Sumner said, is not to pull the person out of their military occupational specialty or away from their civilian job. Instead, it will be to meet short-term needs, which would fill the time the reservist would normally commit to their military job. Which is why the term "gig" is used in the app's title.
The other thing about Gig Eagle is that it's strictly voluntary, Sumner said, noting that it's very likely that a lot of reservists would like to take advantage of the app to see what might particularly interest them and what might contribute to their personal development.
The DIU will invite potential vendors to give pitches later this summer, Sumner said. The team is looking to test the selected prototypes later this year.
Congress set aside $3 million in the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act that will be used to develop the initial prototype, Sumner said.
Resiliency workshops available in 2021
Army Community Service (ACS) has resiliency workshops scheduled throughout 2021.
Topics include:
• Aug. 4: Mental Games.
• Sept. 1: Real-Time Resilience.
• Oct. 6: Character Strengths.
• Nov. 3: Assertive Communication.
• Dec. 1: Effective Praise & Constructive Responding
All workshops will be 9 to 11 a.m. on Microsoft Teams. Registration is required one week prior to the event.
ACS events are open to Fort McCoy military members, family members, civilian employees, and registered volunteers.
For more information or to register, call 608-388-6507.
Military Appreciation Nights offered at McCoy's
McCoy's Community Center is hosting Military Appreciation Nights throughout the summer.
Currently serving military members may receive a free meal (up to $12). Service members must show valid ID, and dependents are not included. The meals are paid for by sponsors.
Military Appreciation Nights are 6 p.m. to close July 21 and 29 and Aug. 11 and 19. Meals are limited and will be available on a first-come, first served basis.
For more information, call 608-388-2065.
Home-alone class set for Aug. 10-11
Child and Youth Services is hosting a home-alone class Aug. 10-11.
The class is designed to teach youth to be responsible, trustworthy, competent, capable, and safe while staying home alone.
Topics include: how to stay safe while home alone, how to handle emergency situations, activities to keep children from being bored, how to be safe in the kitchen, and how to deal with conflict.
Classes are 8:30-11:30 a.m. Aug. 10 and 9:30-11:30 a.m. Aug. 11, and youth must attend both sessions. The class is open to youth registered with CYS ages 10 and 11.
Space is limited. Registration is required by Aug. 3.
For more information, call 608-388-8956.
History Center open to public
Fort McCoy’s Commemorative Area and History Center will hold open hours until Sept. 4 (through Labor Day).
The Commemorative Area features World War II-era buildings, an Equipment Park, Veterans Memorial Plaza, and displays telling the history of Fort McCoy starting from 1909. A picnic pavilion is available at the area for those who wish to bring a lunch.
The area will be open noon to 4 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays until Sept. 2.
These open days are open to members of the public, but visitors must provide a valid ID and pass a quick background check at the main gate.
Social-distancing restrictions are still in effect, and masks are required for unvaccinated visitors. Disposable masks are available at the Commemorative Area.
For information about open hours, the Commemorative Area, or group tours, call 608-388-2407 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Use local firewood when camping
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) urges residents and visitors to help protect the state’s trees where you live, play or camp by not transporting firewood long distances.
Firewood can carry tree-killing insects and diseases such as emerald ash borer or oak wilt which can emerge at your destination to attack trees there. By using local firewood, you avoid moving pests to new places.
To reduce the risk of introducing pests and diseases to Wisconsin parks and other properties, state campgrounds only allow firewood from within 10 miles; firewood that is state certified and treated to eliminate pests; or clean, untreated dimensional lumber scraps.
You can purchase firewood in or near almost every Wisconsin state park or forest property. For time and location of firewood sales at a state campground, select a property from the DNR webpage at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/findapark.
Be aware that it is illegal to move firewood from eastern Wisconsin across the gypsy moth quarantine line into the nonquarantined, far western counties or Minnesota.
This pest is established in the eastern two-thirds of the state, and the quarantine on firewood is part of the effort to delay its establishment further west.
For a map of the quarantine in Wisconsin and regulation rules, visit the gypsy moth quarantine webpage at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/GMQuarantineRegs.aspx.
You can legally move firewood within the quarantined counties or from nonquarantined to quarantined counties.
For more information on transporting firewood, visit the DNR’s firewood webpage at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/firewood.html.
Publication date for The Real McCoy
The next issue of The Real McCoy will be published July 23. The deadline for article and photo submissions is July 14.
For more information about photo and article submissions or to submit article suggestions, call 608-388-2769.