The U.S. Army has begun easing its regulations concerning transgender troops.

Before, troops could be outright dismissed by officers, but a recent change in policy has made it so officers have to justify their dismissal, which could curb them.

The news came last week when the Army updated its All Army Activities directive, according to USA Today. Mid-level officers will no longer have the final say in the dismissal of transgender troops but now they have to explain their decision to top-level civilians overseeing personnel.

"The Army policy concerning separation of transgender soldiers has not changed," Lt. Col. Alayne Conway, a spokesperson, told USA Today. "By elevating disposition authority, the action will ensure consistency in the application of existing Department of Defense and Army policy."

The current Army policy bans people with gender dysphoria from joining, citing medical reasons. However, after Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) was successfully repealed, allowing gay, lesbian and bisexual troops to serve openly, activists have sought to repeal this ban as well.

With the update in this policy update, the U.S. Army could be the first branch to do so. USA Today explains it is a risky career move to explain dismissals to civilian leadership and the same tactic was used before DADT was repealed to halt dismissals.

In a recent town hall with troops stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, newly appointed Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said he was open to transgender troops serving even though he admitted to not be well versed on the subject.

"...I come at this kind of question from a fundamental starting point, which is that we want to make our conditions and experience of service as attractive as possible to our best people in our country," he said.

"And I'm very open-minded about -- otherwise about what their personal lives and proclivities are, provided they can do what we need them to do for us. That's the important criteria," he continued, adding, "I don't think anything but their suitability for service should preclude them."

The Washington Post reports that a dozen transgender troops have been dismissed in the last month.

Joshua Block, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, told the Washington Post the Army's policies continue to harm, but added: "the new policy is welcome news for transgender soldiers and it hopefully is a sign that the Army is moving toward a comprehensive review of the current regulations."

Recently, the Army has allowed Chelsea Manning, imprisoned for leaking classified documents, to continue hormone treatment. A court also ordered that the Army must refer to Manning as "she" instead of "he."