The Pentagon has finally come out and said it: the U.S. military will officially lift its ban on transgender military members.

It has been the Pentagon’s official policy that no transgender military members could take hormones or act upon their transgender status by using the opposite sex’s military uniforms or barracks. This policy has been gradually relaxed over the years.

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Monday that the reasons behind the ban were no longer relevant.

“We have transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines — real, patriotic Americans — who I know are being hurt by an outdated, confusing, inconsistent approach that’s contrary to our value of service and individual merit,” Carter said.

There are an estimate 15,500 transgender servicemen in the military, most of whom conceal their identities to keep their positions.

The ban will not be lifted immediately. The Pentagon will spend six months analyzing how military policy must adjust to accommodate transgender military members.