memo released in July by the Palm Center, a think tank that studies gender and policy issues in the military. According to that memo, the ban would be easily reversed, because under the so-called “Mattis Plan” implemented by the Trump administration, the Pentagon granted exemptions for an estimate 1,600 transgender service members who had already transitioned while serving under the Obama-era “open service” policy.“The Department of Defense left all the necessary breadcrumbs to mark the way back to inclusive service,” the memo reads. “DoD’s plan to implement Trump’s ban was always inconsistent because it served contradictory goals.