Most HIV-positive troops will no longer face involuntary separation or be barred from deploying as a result of their condition under an update to the Pentagon's policy on HIV status.
According to a memo released by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday, commanders no longer will be allowed to involuntarily separate troops with asymptomatic HIV. They also may not restrict them from deploying or bar any currently serving enlisted personnel, cadets or midshipmen with HIV from seeking a commission as an officer.
HIV, however, will continue to be a disqualifying condition for enlistment or commissioning for those not currently serving, meaning HIV-positive persons interested in joining the U.S. military still may not, regardless of whether their viral load is deemed low enough to not be transmissible.
Read Next: Veterans Make Up Most of Proud Boys Members Indicted on Sedition for Jan. 6 Violence
In the memo sent to senior combatant commanders and military leadership, Austin said the policy change reflects the “significant advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus.”
The policy change follows a ruling in April by a U.S. District Court judge in Virginia that barred the Defense Department from discharging service members or denying them commissions based solely on their HIV infection status.
U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled in favor of two airmen facing discharge as a result…
