Transgender military members who have served between 15 and 18 years are being denied early retirement by the U.S. Air Force following the implementation of the Trump administration’s “transgender” military ban.
An August 4 memorandum obtained by Reuters explains that transgender Air Force members will be denied early retirement and will not receive retirement benefits. The outlet noted that service members with between 15 and 18 years of service will instead be given the same option of voluntarily leaving the military as other transgender service members
In the memorandum, Brian Scarlett, the U.S. Air Force’s acting assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs, stated, “After careful consideration of the individual applications, I am disapproving all Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA) exception to policy requests in Tabs 1 and 2 for members with 15-18 years of service.”
According to Reuters, while multiple transgender Air Force members had already been approved to receive early retirement benefits, the Air Force has reportedly rescinded the early retirement approvals for transgender troops.
“Although service members with 15-18 years of honorable service were permitted to apply for an exception to policy, none of the exceptions to policy were approved,” an Air Force spokesperson told The Guardian.
READ MORE: Video: Pentagon removing transgender troops from US military
The Air Force told ABC News, “Approximately a dozen service members between 15 and 18 years of service were prematurely notified that their TERA applications under the gender dysphoria provision had been approved, but higher level review was required under the DoD gender dysphoria policy for those members.”
ABC News reported that the memorandum indicates that transgender service members who voluntarily choose to leave the Air Force will receive twice the rate of pay compared to transgender service members who are involuntarily forced to leave the Air Force. Additionally, ABC News reported that the memorandum notes that transgender troops are “entitled to an honorable discharge characterization, separation benefits and transition assistance.”
The recent Air Force memorandum comes after the Trump administration announced earlier this year that service members with “gender dysphoria” would no longer be allowed to serve in the U.S. military.
In a May memorandum, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “As the President of the United States clearly stated in Executive Order 14183, ‘Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,’ January 27, 2025, expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for Military Service.”
“Service by individuals with a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibiting symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is not in the best interest of the Military Services and is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security,” Hegseth added.
