Final answer:
The deployability of service members can be limited by physical injuries, psychological conditions, as well as evolving military policies regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals faced discrimination and possible discharge, although this changed with policy reforms. Transgender individuals had a ban on their service lifted in 2016, with recent policy in 2021 allowing them to serve openly with medical support.
Step-by-step explanation:
Limiting conditions that would prevent a service member from being deployable include a range of physical, psychological, policy-based, and legal factors. Historically in the U.S. military, conditions such as a physical injury or homosexuality could lead to disqualification from service, as seen during World War II and later periods. Psychological screenings were introduced to identify homosexual individuals, but few were disqualified due to the prevalence of concealment tactics within the gay community. For example, musician Liberace was drafted but ultimately disqualified for a physical injury, not his sexual orientation.
Policies affecting gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members evolved over time. The implementation of Defense Directive 1304.26 prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation, but openly gay individuals were still at risk of discharge under the policy until its repeal in 2011. The inclusion of transgender individuals in the military has similarly been subject to changing policies. A ban imposed in 1960 was lifted in 2016, and further restrictions were removed in early 2021, allowing transgender individuals to receive medical support for gender transition and to serve openly in the armed forces.
Military service limitations are also affected by broader strategic concerns, such as the implications of diminishing global resources and the need for enforcement of these policies both domestically and in international contexts.