An active-duty member of the U.S. military received a sex-reassignment surgery which was covered by the Department of Defense this week.

Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said in a statement released to the media that the member had “already begun a sex-reassignment course of treatment,” and that “the treating doctor deemed this surgery medically necessary.”

First reported by NBC News, the servicemember identifies as a woman and has previously fought in Afghanistan, where she earned the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB). According to Ms. White, the procedure was not performed by military medical personnel, saying “Military hospitals do not have the surgical expertise to perform this type of surgery, therefore it was conducted in a private hospital.”

“The supplemental Health Care Program will cover this surgery in accordance with the Department’s interim guidance on transgender Service members,” her statement reads.