Last week President Trump tweeted the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military.Trump wrote he had consulted with “my generals and military experts” in making the decision.A day later, in an unusual rebuke, America’s top military officer, Gen. Joseph Dunford, said the Armed Forces would continue to allow transgender people to serve openly until the defense secretary, Jim Mattis, has received Trump’s “direction” to change the policy and figured out how to implement it.Apparently not all of our generals and military experts were consulted ­— at least not Dunford and Mattis. According to reports, Mattis was away on vacation last week.Another day, more surprises from the commander in chief. Six months into his presidency, the country is witnessing a high level of unpredictability from the president.It appears the military, which prefers clarity, precision and planning, is still adjusting.Trump’s decision reverses a 2016 Obama administration decision to allow transgender individuals to serve openly.Mattis, a retired Marine general, had delayed implementation of that decision, ordering service chiefs to spend another six months weighing the costs and benefits of the policy change. He wanted further study on an issue that impacts an estimated 6,000 people serving in the military.Apparently Trump didn’t feel the issue warranted further study and didn’t feel the need to inform the military.That didn’t sit well with some members of Congress, including a few of Trump’s fellow Republicans. Trump’s Sen. John McCain, one of the military’s fiercest advocates, called Trump’s decision “simply wrong.”“Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving,” he said. “There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train and deploy to leave the military – regardless of their gender identity.”Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt said Trump’s decision to ban transgender people from serving in the military “deserves more than a Twitter conversation,” adding that he didn’t know what the Pentagon’s current view on the issue was but “it would matter to me what their current view is.”It matters to us as well.Trump, who campaigned on a platform of giving wide deference to our military leaders, should show some discipline on complicated policy issues that affect the armed services.This is a complicated issue and one the president should let the military handle. He might also spend some time educating himself on the chain of command.