In a fiery statement that pulls no punches, Rob Smith, who describes himself as a vocal advocate for military readiness and a staunch patriot, laid out a devastating critique of the impact transgender service members have on the armed forces.

'Trump just signed an executive order banning all transgender [people] in the military. Let me tell you what this means,' Smith began in a nearly four minute video posted to X.

'First of all, there are upwards of 15,000 trans people that are 'serving' in the United States military right now. All of these people are non-deployable.'

Smith, who served with distinction in Iraq, painted a stark picture of the military's operational challenges under the weight of what he calls 'politically motivated social experiments.' 

According to Smith, transgender service members are unable to fulfill the most basic requirement of military service: deployability.

'If you are a transgender-identified person that's 'serving' in the United States military right now, you are non-combat deployable,' Smith continued. 

'These people cannot be deployed to combat theaters when the U.S. is involved in any sort of conflict overseas. What this means is that you've got a lot of people sucking up taxpayer funds sitting in an office somewhere, maybe they're doing clerk work, but they are non-combat deployable.'

For a military led by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whose mission is to restore a 'lethal' force, this issue strikes at the heart of operational readiness. 

'This does not bode well for Hegseth's mission of a lethal military,' Smith asserted.

Smith didn't stop at combat readiness. He highlighted what he described as the financial burden that transgender service members place on the American taxpayer.

'The vast majority of transgender people, when they separate from the United States military, do so by medically separating,' he explained. 

'This means that taxpayers are on the hook for $200,000 to $300,000 per year of 'transgender healthcare,' which is also covered by the VA.'

Smith elaborated that this includes the costs of gender-affirming surgeries, hormone therapies, and ongoing medical treatments.