Overview

• The Air Force announced on August 7 that transgender personnel with 15–18 years of service will be separated without eligibility for early retirement benefits.
• Affected members must choose between a one-time lump-sum separation payment, typically offered to junior troops, or involuntary discharge.
• All service members in this category were eligible to request case-by-case waivers under the policy, but none of the exception applications were granted.
• About a dozen troops had been prematurely notified that they would qualify for retirement before the decision was reversed, a spokesperson said.
• This action implements President Trump’s executive order and follows the Supreme Court’s May ruling permitting enforcement of the transgender military ban.