Jun 9, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Pentagon eases restrictions on HIV-positive military members

Herb Scribner

The Pentagon seal in the Pentagon Briefing Room in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Pentagon will no longer automatically ban people who are HIV-positive from joining the US military.

Driving the news: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo the military updated its HIV policies due to "significant advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of" HIV as the impetus for the policy change.

The new policy that took effect Monday says military members who are HIV-positive, asymptomatic or who have a confirmed but undetectable viral load can still be deployed and remain in service.
These military members cannot be discharged or separated from service based on their HIV-positive status, either.

The big picture: The memo reverses a previous policy that allowed commanders to separate troops with HIV and prevent them from deploying.

A federal court decision ruled the Department of Defense's policies were unlawful, CNN reports.

By the numbers: The Congressional Research Service found in 2019 that 350 service members were diagnosed with HIV every year.

Go deeper: Woman becomes third person ever cured of HIV, scientists say

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Pentagon eases restrictions on HIV-positive military members

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