The New York Times reports that Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland has decided to perform up to 60 penis transplants on "men injured in combat."
The operation is experimental, and only two previous attempts have been reported: an unsuccessful one in China, and a successful one in South Africa. Because the procedure is so rare, the medical team will be seeking explicit consent from the families of organ donors, who may not have contemplated the use of their penises in this manner. One physician noted that, should the transplantation program meet with success, there will be interest in the surgery by transgender people.
A Department of Defense database shows that "from 2001 to 2013, 1,367 men in military service suffered wounds to the genitals in Iraq or Afghanistan."
additional coverage:
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 17 2015, @05:29PM
As mentioned in the summary, this operation was done successfully in South Africa. The South African patient "was reported to have recovered function in the organ, including urination, erection, orgasm and ejaculation, but sensation is expected to take two years to return fully," says Wikipedia, citing these news reports:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/penis-transplant-successfully-performed-in-south-africa-1.2993991 [www.cbc.ca]
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-31876219 [bbc.com]