Ban Lifted Off US Transgender Army

Mr Carter called for the ban to be rescinded last July, but revealed he had been told that the services now support the timeline.

Transgender people will be allowed to serve openly in the US military, the Pentagon has announced.

US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said that by the start of October transgender troops will be able to receive medical care and formally change their gender in the Pentagon's personnel system.

In a year's time, transgender people will be allowed to enlist if they meet required standards and have been stable in their identified gender for the past 18 months.

It ends one of the last remaining barriers to serving in the military, and removes the risk to an estimated thousands of US troops who could have been expelled from the military due to their gender identity.

Mr Carter said the new policy was "the right thing to do", despite concerns from some senior military officials that the changes are being implemented too quickly.

He said: "Our mission is to defend this country, and we don't want barriers unrelated to a person's qualification to serve preventing us from recruiting or retaining the soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine who can best accomplish the mission."

In 2011, a ban was lifted on openly gay and lesbian people serving in the US military, ending the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that had previously prevented them from serving openly. 

Transgender advocates have welcomed the move, but said the process has been too slow.

Matt Thorn, of OutServe-SLDN, a network of LGBT military personnel, said: "I would hope that it showcases the fact that the sky will not fall, the world will not come apart, by us being a more inclusive and open society."

Critics have argued that Mr Carter is putting the agenda of the Obama administration ahead of the military's combat readiness.